National mourning: What closes, what happens with schools and has once been declared in Greece

The funeral of the former Prime Minister of the country will take place on Thursday, January 9th, 2025. By decision of the Government, the funeral of Costas Simitis will be public expenditure, honors will be attributed to the acting Prime Minister and will be declared a four-day national mourning. But what is national mourning and for whom has it been declared? CORVERSE When the state goes on declaring national mourning, flags throughout the country are posted brokers. National mourning is usually done by closing public and school services, while all festivities are suspended. So far, however, it has not been announced what will happen to schools, whose opening is scheduled this year, for January 8, 2025. This is not the first time that public or national mourning has been declared in the country, although since 1974, the strict distinction between national and public mourning has ceased to exist in practice. A similar manifestation of less – duration mourning is the observance of a minute silence at various meetings and gatherings. When public mourning has been declared in Greece In June 1996, following the death of Andreas Papandreou, a four-day public mourning was declared. In July 1996, after the death of Virgin III of Alexandria, a three-day public mourning was declared. In April 1998, following the death of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Seraphim, a four-day public mourning was declared (10, 11, 12, 13 April). In November 2002, following the death of Michael Stasinopoulos, a four-day public mourning was declared. In September 2004, after the death of Patriarch of Alexandria Peter VII, a three-day public mourning was declared (13, 14, 15 September). In January 2008, following the death of the Holy Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Christodoulos, a four-day public mourning was declared (28, 29, 30, 31 January). In May 2017, following the death of former Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, four-day public mourning was declared (29, 30, 31 May & 1 June). In December 2021, following the death of Charles Papoulia, a four-day public mourning was declared (26, 27, 28 & 30 December). In February 2022, following the death of Christos Sarjetakis, a four-day public mourning was declared (3, 4, 5 & 7 February). When national mourning has been declared in Greece In March 1994 after Melina Mercouri’s death, a three-day national mourning was declared. In April 1998, following the death of Constantine Karamanlis, a three-day national mourning was declared. In September 2001, following the September 11 Attacks, September 14 was declared a day of national mourning. In August 2005, following the Helios Air Accident, August 16 was declared a day of national mourning. In August 2007, after the extensive fires that hit the country. In November 2017, following the killing floods of Western Attica. In July 2018, following the devastating fires of Attica, a three-day national mourning was declared (24, 25, 26 July). In September 2021, following the death of Mikis Theodorakis, a three-day national mourning was declared (2, 3, 4 September). In October 2021, after the death of Phofi Gennimata, October 27 was declared a day of national mourning. In March 2023, after the very dead collision of two trains in Tembi, a three-day national mourning was declared (1, 2 and 3 March). In June 2023, after the very dead wreck with refugees and immigrants off Pylos, a three-day national mourning was declared (14, 15 and 16 June). Kostas Simitis was born in Athens in 1936. He studied law and economics in Germany and England. He taught as a professor at the University of Constance in 1971 and as a professor at Gissen University in 1971–1975. In 1977 he was elected Professor of Commercial Law at Panteion University. In 1965 he pioneered the establishment of the “Alexandros Papanastasiou” Group. CORVERSE After the fall of Junta in 1974, he was one of the founders of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and assumed several ministerial positions when his party assumed power. On 18 January 1996 he succeeded Andrew Papandreou to the Prime Minister after a vote by the PASOK Parliamentary Group representing the “modernist” power pole with the main objective of economic reform of the Greek economy and the social convergence of Greek society with “strong” Europe. On 30 June 1996, a few days after the death of Andreas Papandreou, Kostas Simitis was elected president of PASOK at the 4th Congress of the party. He was re-elected Prime Minister after winning the September 1996 and April 2000 elections. As Prime Minister Costas Simitis promoted a moderate foreign policy at the same time as the gradual privatisation of the great Greek public sector, aiming at economic stability according to the policies of the European Union. As president of PASOK, he dissociated the party’s speech by qualifying the country’s progress towards European unification.