Greek Presidential Guard, Evzones
The threat of rain didn’t put a damper on the spirits of thousands of Greeks lining the parade route on 5th Avenue and waving their blue and white flags in celebration of their 196th year of Independence. This parade claims to be the largest celebration outside of Greece and is televised both locally and internationally to millions of viewers back in the homeland of Greece. A stage and grandstand on 68th St. were set for parade VIPs, Grand Marshalls and Archbishop Demetrios, leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Parade founders, The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, have been doing a great job for the last 79 years in organizing the many groups and churches in putting on a joyful event. As always, the mounted police signal the start of the parade soon followed by parade VIPs, Mayor DiBlasio, NY Senator Schumer and Grand Marshall Ivan Savvidis and Dr. George Yancopoulos. One of the perennial favorites is the Greek Presidential Guard, Evzones, marching with their distinctive uniforms and high step march.
Senator Schumer, Archbishop Demetrios and Mayor DiBlasio
Traditional Costumers
Celebrating Tradition
Traditional costumes was displayed by the Greek American Folklore Society. Greeks are a very religious people and many Greek Orthodox Churches in the Tri-State area send their representatives to the parade. Many Greek regional groups including Cyprians and Cretians had a large presence and were very boastful. Of course, it’s not a parade unless there’s a marching band. The All-City marching Band was one of the first bands to make their way on to the parade route. It’s always great to see members of St. Nicholas Church, a small church directly on Ground Zero that remained intact. A new group that made a nice impression was Eponoah with traditional costumes and music. They were soon followed by another perennial favorite, the Plato School Marching Band from Brooklyn. They’re always fun to watch. Back on the main stage, a young group of traditional dancers showed off their moves to the delight of the viewers. This was a fun parade to watch and had to make my way to Uncle Nick’s Greek Cuisine on 29th and 8th Ave for some delicious Greek food.
NYC Parade Life 