MIkis Theodorakis 1925-2021

Mikis Theodorakis the best-known Greek composer and lyricist died today at the age of 96.  He composed music for the films "Zorba the Greek" (1964) and "Z" (1969).  His "Mauthausen Trilogy" also known as "The Ballad of Mauthausen" is considered the most beautiful music written about the Holocaust.  Politically he clearly stood on the left and was a member of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).  He was among the most prominent opponents against the 1967-1974 Greek junta which imprisoned and tortured him.  In 1989 he run for Parliament as an independent candidate and was instrumental in creating a coalition between conservatives, socialists, and communists.  He became a minister in the government of Constantine Mitsotakis, a conservative, and fought against drugs, for better education, and for better relations between Greece and Turkey. "Today we lost part of the soul of Greece," said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni "the man who made Greeks sing poetry"

The Tokyo Olympics

 

The Summer Olympics originally scheduled for 2020, opened a year later on July 23, 2021 with dance performances highlighting the struggle to overcome the pandemic that infected close to 200 million people and has been the cause of death in more than 4 million people worldwide.

Japan is a country in East Asia of 126 million that inhabit multiple islands.  According to legend Emperor Jimmu, the grandson of Amaterasu goddess of the rising sun, formed the kingdom of Japan in 660 BC, forming a continuous imperial line. In 1868, Japan opened trade with the West.  In the Meiji period, the Empire of Japan adopted a Western modeled constitution and pursued industrialization and modernization.  Today, Japan is a member of both the G7 and G20 groups of nations.

As of today August 1st, the IOC said there have been 259 Covid-19 cases two of which were treated in a hospital.  Twenty athletes have tested positive.  Japan has dealt well with the pandemic reporting 937,203 cases and 15,209 deaths that correspond to 121 deaths per million.

The tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the cauldron with the flame that was brought to Tokyo from Olympia, Greece.

The flame is lit according to the ancient method using the sun's rays.  The flame is given to the first runner by the high priestess of Hera, the wife of God Zeus, the preeminent God on Mount Olympus.

The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens' Stadium in 1896.  Although the Tokyo Olympics will be celebrating the 125th year since their rebirth, the ancient Games began in Olympia over 2700 years ago.  They were held every four years between 776 BC and 392 AD. 

The Olympic Games were attended by approximately 50,000 people from all over the Greek world and were celebrated as a religious festival for Zeus, the supreme God of the Greek pantheon.  The main event at the games was the sacrifice of 100 oxen to God Zeus. 

Unlike in today's games, the ancient athletes wouldn't have medals but instead, they were given a wreath of leaves and they were welcomed back to their home towns as heroes.

Discus, javelin throwing as well as running were popular events.  The toughest running race was called the Hoplitodromos and athletes run wearing armor and carrying a shield.

Wrestling and boxing were popular.  One of the toughest events was called Pankration - the only rules were that those wrestling could not bite or poke their rival in the eye.

Sumo which originated in Japan is its national sport.  Sumo will not be one of the 2021 games. A two-day tournament will take place between the completion of the games and the beginning of the Paralympic games. 

On August 1st Qatar's Mutaz Barshim and Italy's Gianmarco Tamberi after the bar was set to 2.39m and each missed three times decided to share the gold in men's high jump.  The friendship and humanity the two athletes showed exemplified the spirit of the Olympics.  

           This was the best moment of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics!

People would travel from faraway places to compete in the ancient and modern games.  Two young athletes, Mark and Chloe - my children - traveled 5,000 miles to visit Olympia.  On July 23, 2007, they run the length of the stadium on a very hot day.  Hip hip hooray!

                                             Long live the Olympic Games

Events that led to the American War of Independence

The English Civil Wars (1642-1651) gave rise to the philosophy that created the American nation.  Prominent thinkers speculated about the nature of man and the role of government.

John Locke a puritan who was educated in Oxford focused on the problems of human society.  He concluded that knowledge came from trying new ideas and facts and government was an agreement,  "a social contract" put together to enable men to live together in peace.  Thus, governments depended on the consent of those who they governed.

In what has become known as the Age of Enlightenment, in France Voltaire ridiculed a world bound on superstition and religion.  In Scotland, Adam Smith argued that men constructed a rational economy as they acted in their own interest.

During the Age of Enlightenment-era, people embraced scientific reasons regarding natural laws.  In part, the new ideas of Locke and other thinkers reflected the need of Europeans to make sense of the information coming from the North American colonies and in turn, these ideas traveled back to the colonies.  These principles affected every aspect of colonial life as they were organized under the British crown.  By 1740 every colony had a royal governor but elected Assemblies had the power as they controlled the purse strings.  

This system of governance held sway until 1763 when American colonials discovered they did not share the same relationship with the government as Englishmen did at home.  The series of measures put in effect by Britain in 1763 after the French/Indian war ended were policies to prevent expensive wars.  One of these policies was prohibiting colonials from moving west across the Appalachians.  Colonials loathed the new rule.  Soon after in 1764, the parliament taxed sugar.  In 1765 it required colonials to defray the expenses of British troops, a law known as the Quartering Act.  In the same year, it passed the Stamp Act, a law that levied taxes on all paper documents.  When the tax was paid, the document was stamped to show compliance.  This onslaught of taxes and bureaucracy cooled colonials' enthusiasm for being British subjects. 

In 1760 opposition especially towards the Stamp Act took hold on Americans living in seaports like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia.  The Boston attorney John Adams saw in the Acts the growing strength of the government towards subjugating its subjects.  He became an activist and one of the leaders of what became a revolution against British rule.  He was George Washington's Vice-President and was elected as the 2nd President of the United States.

Colonials' conviction that the new land required a new kind of government grew.  Although the British parliament repealed the Townshend duties in 1770 except one on tea, colonials considered it as "taxation without representation".  In December 1773 a group of colonials dressed as American Indians turned Boston's harbor into a teapot the so-called Boston Tea Party by throwing a shipload of tea into it.

When the King retaliated by closing the harbor, colonial leaders responded by organizing their own governing body: the First Continental Congress.  They met in Philadelphia in 1774 and declared they had the right to legislate without parliament's consent.  When the governor of Massachusetts Lieutenant General Thomas Cage tried to dissolve the Massachusetts legislature its members reconvened and took control of the colony.  When Cage tried to stop them by seizing their military supplies at Concord, Massachusetts in 1775 on the dark cold ground of Lexington Green, someone fired "the shot that was heard around the world".  By the end of that evening, 300 colonials and British soldiers lay dead or wounded.  On July 4, 1776: The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. 

                              Happy 4th of July United States!

Festa della Repubblica - 75 years

The Italian Republic was born 75 years ago on June 2, 1946. It was on that day the Italian people voted to abolish the monarchy and establish a Republic at the end of WWII.

The ceremonies take place in Rome and among others, it includes the deposition of a wreath to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The holiday is also celebrated by a military parade in Via Dei Fori Imperiali the which goes through ancient forums and the Colosseum.

The President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella gives a speech commemorating the event.

The Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi also addresses the Nation.

An airshow of fighter jets flies over leaving trails of green, white, and red smoke (known as Frecce Tricolori), the colors of the Italian flag.

The ceremonies opened this year at the magnificent Altare della Patria in Piazza di Venezia.  The festivities begin with the Italian National Anthem known to the Italians as Inno di Mameli or Il Canto degli Italiani which was written by Goffredo Mameli and set to music by Michelle Novaro in 1847.

Viva Italia!

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico's victory at the battle of the Puebla on May 5, 1862.   The victory of the smaller Mexican army against the larger French forces was a boost to the morale of the Mexicans. The city of Puebla marks the event with an arts festival,  with exhibits of local cuisine and with re-enactments of the battle.

The day is mostly celebrated in the United States and is associated with Mexican culture.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations began in California where have been observed annually since 1863.

Cinco de Mayo is often mistaken for Mexico's Independence Day which is celebrated on September 16th.   It was in 1810 Miguel Hildago, a Spanish Catholic priest gave his famous speech Grito de Dolores and initiated Mexico's revolt that lasted till 1821 when Mexico obtained its independence from Spain.

Easter Sunday; 1916

It was on Easter week in 1916 the Easter Rising also known as Easter Rebellion, an armed insurrection started in Ireland on its path towards independence from British rule.  Although the rebellion was crushed after a week of fighting, the Rising and the British response led to greater popular support for Irish independence.

The Irish War of Independence was fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 mostly between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British forces.

On November 211920,  also known as Bloody Sunday, fourteen British intelligence operatives were assassinated, then members of the Royal Irish Constabulary fired on the crowd at a Gaelic football match, killing fourteen civilians and wounding sixty-five.  A week later,  the IRA killed seventeen as a reprisal.  In December of that year, the center of the city of Cork was burned out.  Violence continued to escalate over the next seven months, during which time approximately 1,000 people were killed.  Much of the fighting took place in Munster and the cities of Dublin and Belfast which together saw over 75 percent of the conflict's deaths. 

A ceasefire began on July 11, 1921.  The talks that followed led to the signing of the Anglo-Irish-Treaty also known as the Treaty on December 6, 1921.  The Treaty provided for the establishment of an Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion within the community of nations of the British Empire.  This ended British rule in most of Ireland and, after a ten-month transitional period the Republic of Ireland was created on December 2, 1922, while Northern Ireland remained within the United Kingdom.

The Republic of Ireland is currently a peaceful and thriving nation.  Dublin its capital is known for its beautiful and vibrant downtown.

Picture of Scrafton street. 

Ireland has outstanding institutions of higher learning as the historic Trinity College that was established in 1592 and modeled after the collegiate universities of Cambridge and Oxford.  Trinity College is the most prestigious university in Ireland and is among the most elite universities in Europe.  Its library which was also established in 1592 has over 6 million books and documents.  One of the most notable exhibits is the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the Four Gospels of the New Testament dated c. 800 AD.

Dublin's Castle is a major administrative and historical complex that is open to the public also is the site where the inauguration of Ireland's President takes place.   The Republic of Ireland is currently a member state of the European Union.

                                                            Fada beo an Éireann!

Greek War of Independence; 200th year anniversary

The Greek War of Independence led to the establishment of a national state for the first time in Europe.  It was in 1814 that several young Greek intellectuals of the diaspora formed a secret society called Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends).  One of its leaders was Alexander Ypisilantis.  He and his brother Dimitrios Ypsilantis played major roles in the revolution that started in 1821.

Battle scene from the Greek War of Independence by Georg Perlberg.

Today, March 25th, Greek Independence Day, our country will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the revolt against the Ottoman Empire.  It was on that day, the day of the Annunciation, Greeks swore to "fight or perish" in 1821.  Four hundred years had elapsed since the Ottoman Turks had conquered Constantinople and brought the end of the Byzantine Empire.

  As in every revolt, many battles were important but the Siege(s) and Exodus from Missolonghi were renowned for their heroism.  Although most Greeks, men, and women perished, their sacrifice raised strong feelings among Europe's philhellenes the most notable of whom was Lord Byron who moved to Greece joined the revolution lived and died in Missolonghi.

Two of the protagonists in the struggle to establish the new country of Greece were; Theodoros Kolokotronis (1770-1843) the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces in Peloponnese or Morea and Ioannis Kapodistrias (1776-1831) a distinguished statesman and diplomat who had served as the Foreign Minister of the Russian Empire.  Kapodistrias was elected as the first Head of State of the newly independent  Greece.  He found a country that was totally destroyed.  In his brief tenure, he instituted reforms to modernize the country and jump-start its moribund economy.  He was assassinated on September 27th, 1831.

  Although most of the rebels were men, I will mention two women, Laskarina "Bouboulina" Pinotsi and Manto Mavrogenous who contributed as much to the cause as any of the men.  It was Bouboulina who raised the first flag of the revolution on the mast of her ship.  Mavrogenous was a wealthy and well-educated woman who spent her entire estate for the cause and died penniless.

Land battles were important but it was in the sea battles that Greeks excelled.  Konstantinos Kanaris (1790-1877) contributed his ship to the Greek Navy and achieved fame because of his effective use of fire-ships.  In 1822 he blew up the Turkish admiral's flagship.  In the years that followed he burned several Turkish ships off the coast of Asian Minor and the Eastern Aegean islands.  In addition to Kanaris, several other seamen such as Miaoulis, Koudouriotis, and Bouboulina managed to cut the supply lines from Turkey to their forces fighting against the rebels in the Greek mainland thus helping immensely the outnumbered and outgunned Greeks succeed against superior forces and win their freedom.

Painting of Burning of the Turkish Frigate by Constantine Volanakis

The revolt lasted between 1821 and 1830.  As in every revolution, many battles and events took place but the sea battle that concluded the war took place in the bay of Navarino where the naval forces of France, Brittain, and Russia defeated the Ottoman fleet following which the new country of Greece was born.

Ζητω η Ελλας!

Painting of the sea battle of Navarino by Ambroise Louis Garneray (1827)