Celebrations marking Greek National Day of Independence were held throughout Greece on Wednesday, with the main military parade in central Athens and local school parades in all parts of the country.

Official proceedings in Athens started with Archbishop Ieronymos leading a commemorative church service at the church of Agios Dionisios in Kolonaki in the presence of Greek President Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and other senior political leaders and officials.

Tens of thousands of school students took part in commemorative parades throughout Greece.

In Athens, the Parade took place in front of the Monument for the Unknown Solider in Syntagma while in Thessaloniki it took place on Alexander the Great Avenue.

The Greek President , Karolos Papoulias, in a statement issued after the parade, said that “today we are celebrating the greatest day of the modern Greek nation, when, as a people, with hope, passion and a vision as their sole weapon, they rose up for their liberty.”

The message of the 1821 uprising, Papoulias stressed, was that when the Greeks are all united by an ideal and a purpose, they succeed in their goal, adding that this message was exceptionally timely today in the face of the global financial crisis.

“We will overcome this crisis as well, with determination, and with the thought that we have overcome other crises as well and they did not bring us to our knees,” the president said.

“It is certain that this economic crisis will not bring us to our knees, despite the fact that many strata of the Greek society are going through hard times,” Papoulias said while expressing optimism that the future will be better.

Greek Prime Minister, Costas Karamanlis, said in his statement that Wednesday’s anniversary was a day of national remembrance but also of contemplation.

He said that now the country was facing the impact of an international financial crisis of unprecedented depth and extent, and could only follow the road of those who were being honoured today, those who did their duty and turned over a free and proud homeland to the future generations.

“The duty of our generation is to turn over to our children a stronger Greece, a more just and human society. All together, with unity and solidarity, we can succeed in this,” Karamanlis added.

George Papandreou, assured the nation that “we deserve, and can do, better”, noting that “we serve the timeless values and principles such as freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and social solidarity”.

The PASOK leader claimed that it was certain that “we can create a well-governed state” that “protects the citizens and his rights”.