Fast Fact: What It's Like in Marathon, Greece

CORRECTION: This article was corrected on July 11 at 12:45 p.m. for the following reason. The statue in Hopkinton in front of Weston Nurseries is of Stylianos Kyriakides, the 1947 winner of the Boston Marathon.

The temperature at 12:30 our time, 7:30 in Marathon, Greece, Hopkinton's sister city in Europe, is 31 degrees - about 88 Fahrenheit.

Hopkinton is Marathon's sister city because both are the start of marathons.

Marathon, Greece, is the start of the event for which the marathon is named. In 490 BC, the messenger Pheidippides ran from the Battle of Marathon to Athens.

A statue of Stylianos Kyriakides, the 1947 winner of the Boston Marathon, in front of Weston Nurseries marks the first mile of the Boston Marathon.

Today, Marathon's muncipal website includes a schedule of pro beach volleyball, an art show and an evening performance of Asma Asmaton, a song cycle by contemporary Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.

Unlike the U.S., where we celebrate Independence Day this weekend, Greek holidays are mostly religious.

The holiday most similar to July 4 is Ohi Day, Oct. 28.

"Ohi" means "no." The date marks the Greek refusal in 1940 when the Fascist Benito Mussolini demanded that the Axis powers be allowed to enter Greece.

The Greek population took to the streets shouting "ohi." It has since been celebrated as Ohi Day.