Category: Sarakatsani

Greek Independence Day Parade NYC

Another year, another parade day. Sunday marked 74 years the Greek Independence Day Parade event in New York City on 5th Avenue. You might like to click on the links for info and past posts about the parade.
As a kid attending Greek Afternoon School, we were required to march with our classmates. If you did not march, you received a zero grade for participation. As an adult I can’t miss it. I’ve marched as a teen, with my kids in a stroller as a young mom, with their Greek school class, and later as members of the dance group.  
It was a cold, damp day this year and the costume that my sister and I get to wear almost every year is heavy with layers and warm. This dress of the Greek nomads, the Sarakatsani, is one of my favorites and very different from what people imagine is Greek.

 The tumult of dressing at the dance studio..

 Lining up on 64th Street and 5th Avenue..

 The Evzones from Athens, Greece

A friend and fellow dance member, who sat it out this year, took this photo of me and the others in the group. The dancer near me was playing an oboe-type instrument called a “zurna” and we semi-danced as we walked the parade route. People are surprised by it as we pass and get excited, wave, yell. We get a kick out of it.

Okay, that’s over, now it’s time to get back to work.

I Marched.. Now Back to Monday

On Sunday I had my fun day on New York City’s 5th Avenue marching in the parade. This dress is from the Greek nomads known as the Sarakatsani. I like this costume because it’s very different than many others, and there are plenty of layers to ward off some of the cold.

And man, was it cold!  The Greek Independence Day Parade saw sunny, but cold and windy weather as the backdrop. Painfully cold! As our group waited to step off 64th Street to march we had to endure an hour of side street winds. The little kids were so cold their teeth were chattering, their bodies were shivering and every time a strong wind blew they screamed. So did the adults. Thankfully the sun was shining on the avenue. Marching was ten times better than standing in one place waiting.

The Evones marched in formation, tall and strong, at the start of the parade. The National Guards of Greece are amazing to see in Athens when they perform the changing of the guards, but to see them out of their element here in NYC was great. I was able to watch what I could of them because soon after that our group had to line up and be ready to go.
I was lucky to get a couple of pictures at the start and at the end of marching. My fingers were stiff from the cold and I could barely move them to hold the camera and push the button. The parade began at the Pierre Hotel on 62nd Street and extended to 80th Street, near the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we stopped to take a group photo. It was a nice walk at a good pace so it really didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. If it wasn’t so windy the day would have been perfect, but I was glad to march again.
And now, it’s back to Monday.