Today I Change: Today I... Parade [Re-title]

Today I found my day being separated by a parade. Today is yet another national holiday for the Greek people. It commemorates the liberation of Greece from Turkish Ottoman Empire some 200 years ago and is simply known as Greek Independence Day. To my knowledge, similar parades take place in every town and city all over the country. People took to the streets in droves and lined a straight courseway which had been marked by thin elasticated ropes. There was a certain buzz of excitement as the procession symoblising the pride of Greek freedom began.


School children in traditional costume and carrying the 'I Galanolefki' (The blue and white), their countries national flag, with rehearsed pride.

The parade mainly consisted of uniformed officials and (what seemed to me as) every local school from the area, kept in rhythm by a beautifully composed fanfare. These simple ingredients melded together to create a very proud traditional occasion that I felt priveliged to be a part of. What I didn't feel too comfortable with the fact that I was taking pictures of children for the sake of capturing all the interesting uniforms and costumes representing each school. I am sure I upset a few tight-lipped parents, but I was simply to taken in by the moment to even care.

By the end of the festivities, the jubilation had rubbed off on me. I found myself slapping my paws together like an agitated seal at each group of highly disciplined youngsters as they passed by. Each child seemed focused on their mission of moving in complete unison in an exact formation. I was pretty amazed that none of them flipped off the crowd or at least broke into a short spell of Gangnam style. To be honest, I was expecting this spectacle to be one of the most distasteful versions of the Harlem Shake, but it wasn't. It was simply a beautiful event giving life to a grey day.