Scores celebrate Greek Independence Day with parade, fest in Campbell

CAMPBELL

Six-year-old Fotini Pizanias may not know a lot about the history of Greece’s occupation during much of the Ottoman Empire and the 368 years of hardships and oppression that resulted, but she did know that being part of an effort to celebrate the country's liberation was fun.

“No, I’ve been here a lot,” she said when asked if it was the first time she had taken part in an annual Greek Independence Day parade.

Sunday’s yearly parade began at Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, 401 12th St., and was to rejoice and celebrate the country’s return to democracy and freedom. In 1453, the Byzantine Empire fell to the Turks, and Greece was under Ottoman rule until 1821 and the start of the country’s War of Independence.

March 25 is Greek Independence Day and is in conjunction with the Feast of the Annunciation, a religious holiday in which many Greeks worldwide celebrate their freedoms.

Fotini wore a traditional Greek costume called a kavathi and proudly carried two small blue-and-white Greek flags. Accompanying the girl were her mother, Irene Pizanias; 3-year-old sister, Efimia Pizanias; and her brother, Pantelis Pizanias, 11.

“This parade brings us back to our roots and helps us remember why we have our freedoms,” said Irene, a lifelong Archangel Michael church member. “It keeps the traditions alive for the kids.”

Speaking during a program that followed the parade were Bishop Metropolitan Savas Zembillas, spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh; Phil Passas, St. John the Forerunner Greek Orthodox Church’s council president; Dr. James Pantelakis, a surgeon and a Campbell Memorial High School graduate; and Judge Lou D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.