Tarpon Springs To Celebrate Greek Independence Day

TARPON SPRINGS, FL -- Tarpon Springs, Florida's Greek enclave, will celebrate the 198th anniversary of Greece's independence this weekend with festivities and a parade.

The celebration will begin with a festival on Saturday, March 30 at 6 p.m. at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 36 N., Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs. The event will feature Greek dancers, Greek food and cultural arts celebrating Greek heritage.

The celebration will continue on Sunday, March 31 at noon at the Sponge Docks with the annual Tarpon Springs Greek Independence Day Parade. The parade will wind down Pinellas Avenue from Lemon Street to Dodecanese Boulevard, then west on Dodecanese Boulevard.

Expected road closures will affect Lemon Street from Safford Avenue to Pinellas Avenue, Pinellas from Lemon to Dodecanese Boulevard, and Dodecanese from Pinellas to Hope Street. Roads will reopen at about 4:30 p.m.

The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution, was a war of independence waged by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire.

In 1814, a secret organization called the Filiki Eteria was founded with the aim of liberating Greece, and the organization officially declared a revolt against the Turks on March 25, 1821. The revolt lasted until 1832 when Greece was declared an independent kingdom, according to New World Encyclopedia.

Greek Independence Day is now a national holiday in Greece and is celebrated by expatriate Greek communities around the world.

The Tarpon Springs celebration will include a wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial at Craig Park with Tarpon Springs' Greek-born Mayor Chris Alahouzos and other dignitaries.

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