Peabody Students Celebrate Greek Independence Day At City Hall

PEABODY, MA — Students from the St. Vasilios Greek School of Peabody were at City Hall on Wednesday for a flag-raising ceremony in celebration of the 202nd anniversary of Greek Independence Day.

The students participated in the ceremony along with a proclamation from Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt ahead of their annual Greek Independence Day program of poetry and ethnic folk dances on Sunday.

"St. Vasilios Greek School is proud to continue the longstanding tradition of commemorating Greek Independence in the city of Peabody," said Greek School Principal Dina Kalaitzidis said.

Greek Independence Day is a national holiday celebrated annually in Greece on March 25, commemorating the start of the War of Greek Independence in 1821. It coincides with the Greek Orthodox Church's celebration of the Annunciation to the Theotokos when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her that she would bear the son of God.

"We are excited to organize these events where our students have the opportunity to not only commemorate the sacrifices of our ancestors who fought for independence but to also celebrate the many contributions of Greek Americans to the city of Peabody," Kalaitzidis said.

The Greek School has operated continuously since 1912 and has 60 students enrolled who attend classes two afternoons a week and study the Greek language and culture.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)