March 25, 1821 and the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary – What We Celebrate Today

Today, Tuesday (March 25, 2025), our country celebrates both the beginning of the Greek Revolution of 1821 against 400 years of Ottoman oppression and the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. The dual celebration underscores the timeless connection between Hellenism and Orthodoxy. Just like on October 28, March 25 marks the start rather than the end of the revolution. Diplomatically, the revolution began in late February 1821 in Moldavia (modern-day Romania) with Prince Alexander Ypsilantis. In Greece, the uprising started in the Peloponnese and quickly spread throughout the country. The cultivation of national identity, crucial for initiating the revolution, was significantly influenced by the Modern Greek Enlightenment. Key figures included Rigas Feraios, who famously wrote, ‘Better an hour of free life than forty years of slavery and imprisonment.’ According to folklore, the revolution officially began at the Holy Laura Monastery in Kalavryta when Bishop Germanos of Old Patras secretly raised the revolutionary flag on March 25, 1821. This event symbolically linked the Church and religious tradition with the revolution. March 25 was chosen partly due to its religious significance and partly because it could be concealed within religious festivities. Additionally, March 25 is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, one of Orthodoxy’s greatest feasts. Etymologically, ‘Annunciation’ derives from the Homeric word ‘euangelos,’ meaning bearer of good news. It commemorates the day the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would bear the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. During this joyous feast within the period of Lenten fasting, fish, oil, and wine are permitted. Traditionally, salt cod with skordalia graces family tables.