Dull November brings the blast,
Then the leaves go whirling past.
From 1967-74, Greece was ruled by the Greek military junta, a regime which abolished civil rights, dissolved political parties and exiled, imprisoned and tortured politicians and citizens based on their political beliefs. The Athens Polytechnic uprising in 1973 was a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the junta . The uprising began on November 14, 1973, escalated to an open anti-junta revolt and ended in bloodshed in the early morning of November 17 after a series of events starting with a tank crashing through the gates of the Polytechnic.
November 17 is currently observed as a holiday in Greece for all educational establishments; commemorative services are held and students attend school only for these, while some schools and all universities stay closed during the day. The central location for the commemoration is the campus of the Polytechnic. The campus is closed on the 15th (the day the students first occupied the campus on 1973). Students and politicians lay wreaths on a monument within the Polytechneio on which the names of Polytechneio students killed during the Greek resistance in the 1940s are inscribed. The commemoration day ends traditionally with a demonstration that begins from the campus of the Polytechneio and ends at the United States Embassy.
The student uprising is hailed by many as a valiant act of resistance against the military dictatorship, and therefore as a symbol of resistance to tyranny.
Here on Skopelos, students honour the tradition by having a holiday after the services and 'cocking a snook' at authority - under the indulgent eyes of the townspeople.
Public holidays in November:
Cretan National Day |
8 November |
MANY YEARS! XRONIA POLLA! MANY YEARS! XRONIA POLLA!
Name days in November:
November 4 Amantios
November 6 Leandros
November 8 Gabriel
November 11 Minas
November 14 Philippos
November 16 Mathias
November 25 Aikaterin
November 26 Stylianos
November 30 Andreas