Holy Friday, the Only Day Greek Evzones Bow Their Heads

Holy Friday is the lone time Greek Evzones bow their heads, observing a solemn ceremonial protocol during the Epitaphios procession successful Athens. Credit: Greek Reporter Archive

Holy Friday is the lone time of the twelvemonth erstwhile the Greek Evzones, the soldiers of the Presidential Guard, little their heads portion connected duty, arsenic Greece marks the Passion of Christ with mourning, prayer, and the Epitaphios procession. As the Epitaphios passes earlier them, the solemn motion becomes 1 of the astir striking moments of the day’s observance successful Athens.

Under authoritative protocol, the Evzone reverses his weapon, crosses his palms implicit the barrel, and bows his caput successful a ceremonial motion of grief and reverence for Christ. For a portion defined by strict ceremonial subject and implicit stillness, the motion carries peculiar affectional weight.

The 150-year past of the Greek Evzones down Holy Friday protocol

The Greek Presidential Guard traces its past backmost implicit 150 years to December 12, 1868, erstwhile royal decree established the portion successful the modern Greek state. At the time, authorities created it arsenic a battalion-sized subject enactment known arsenic the Agema.

From the beginning, the portion held elite status. Its members ranked 1 people supra their erstwhile positions, meaning an mean worker serving successful the Agema held presumption equivalent to a lance corporal alternatively than a private. Today, the Guard takes pridefulness successful lasting arsenic the past remaining Evzone portion successful the Greek Army tradition, linked to the country’s historical elite airy infantry and upland forces.

From royal defender to statesmanlike symbol

As Greece’s governmental strategy changed implicit the decades, the portion changed its sanction arsenic well. It became the Royal Guard Company successful 1940, the Guard of Honor of the Unknown Soldier successful 1941, the Flag Guard successful 1942, and the Royal Guard successful 1946.

Its halfway mission, however, has remained intact. The portion continued to defender the Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Since 1974, aft the reinstatement of ideology successful Greece, the portion has been referred to arsenic the Presidential Guard and has served an exclusively ceremonial relation nether the supervision of the Presidency of the Republic’s Military Office.

The Presidential Guard besides holds a unsocial distinction. It is the lone subject portion authorized to rise and little the Greek emblem connected the Acropolis.

How Holy Friday reveals the symbolic relation of the Greek Evzones

Beyond its organization role, the Guard has go 1 of the astir recognizable symbols of Athens. For visitors, the Evzones fertile among the city’s astir photographed attractions, particularly during the changing of the defender astatine the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Their movements unfold successful a slow, controlled, and highly stylized manner. While connected duty, they stay wholly motionless and power positions each 15 minutes. Two forms of the ceremonial instrumentality spot regularly.

The Little Change takes spot each hour, portion the Grand Change takes spot each Sunday astatine 11 a.m., erstwhile the afloat Guard, accompanied by officers and a subject band, marches from the Guard Barracks to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and backmost done cardinal Athens.

The tsarouchi is the emblematic footwear worn by members of the Presidential Guard. Credit: Presidency of the Hellenic Republic

The meaning of the Greek Evzones’ uniform

The historical azygous stands astatine the bosom of the Guard’s individuality and draws from the accepted formal of the klephts during the Greek War of Independence. Each portion carries its ain symbolism. The defining diagnostic of the azygous includes the Belt, which denotes the “well-girdled” combatant (from Greek eu:“well” and zonē: “belt”).

The fustanella (a signifier of kilt), made from 30 meters (about 98 ft) of achromatic fabric, features 4 100 pleats that symbolize the years of Ottoman rule. Its achromatic color, similar that of the shirt, represents the purity of the conflict for nationalist independence. The fermeli, oregon vest, ranks among the astir intricate elements of the uniform, and artisans hand-embroider it with designs of taste and folkloric value successful achromatic oregon golden thread.

The reddish pharion (cap), marked with the nationalist emblem, symbolizes the humor shed during the liberation struggles, portion its achromatic silk tassel represents tears and mourning. Blue and achromatic silk fringes crossed the azygous evoke the colors of the Greek flag.

The iconic tsarouchi of the Greek Evzones

Among the best-known elements of the azygous is the tsarouchi, the accepted footwear worn by the Evzones. Craftsmen marque each brace by manus from hard reddish leather, and each 1 weighs astir 3 kilograms (about 6.5 pounds) and includes 120 nails connected the sole.

According to tradition, the ample achromatic tassel erstwhile concealed tiny blades that could beryllium utile successful adjacent combat. Today, the tsarouchi remains 1 of the clearest ocular links betwixt the modern Presidential Guard and Greece’s subject past.