Crete tourist guide

109th anniversary of Crete's union with Greece

2022-12-01 19:43:52

109 years ago, on December 1, 1913, the union between Crete and Greece was finally sealed, which ended the rule of foreign powers on the island. Today's anniversary is one of the most important moments in the history of Crete, because the conclusion of the union definitively closed the era of the centuries-old struggle of the Cretans for freedom.

On this occasion, this morning, state celebrations began in Chania, the first point of which was a mass in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Chania. Later, traditionally dressed Cretans, assisted by representatives of institutions, the army and citizens, carried the Greek flag through the Port of Venice to the fortress of Firkas, where it was hoisted on the mast. Two F-16s from the 115th Combat Wing, based in Souda, flew over during the flag hoisting.

As the Governor of the Region of Crete Stavros Arnautakis said today " As the Region of Crete, today we honor the people who fought and sacrificed their lives for freedom. [...] This is a historic anniversary that reminds that 109 years ago Eleftherios Venizelos sealed the course of his country in the modern world, ensuring its national sovereignty and independence. Today, in difficult days for humanity, experienced by successive crises, such moments are a guarantee of hope that the fight for freedom is justified. "

Spiros Kayales - one of the heroes whose deeds brought closer the unification of Crete with Greece

Raising the flag is a symbolic gesture to commemorate the events of the sunny Sunday of December 1, 1913. Then two old Cretan revolutionaries, 94-year-old Anagnostis Mantakas and 81-year-old Hatzimichalis Giannaris, raised the Greek flag on the flagpole of the Firkas fortress in Chania. This historic moment was watched by both the Greek King Constantine, Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos and the political leaders of Crete.

Anagnostis Mantakas and Hatzimichalis Giannaris (back) raised the Greek flag on behalf of the Cretan revolutionaries
and descend from the tower of the Firkas fortress in Chania. The photo comes from candiadoc.gr

The Greek flag was a tangible proof of the strong ties between Crete and mainland Greece. Despite hundreds of years of dependence on other powers, the Cretans never got rid of their culture and their own traditions. Although they adopted some of the norms imposed on them by the occupiers, with time adopting them as their own, in the end any attempts at greater assimilation were explicitly rejected by them.

Over the 465 years of Venetian rule and over two centuries of the presence of Ottoman troops in Crete, the occupiers could never feel too confident on this island. The subsequent uprisings of the Cretans clearly reminded of who is the real host of these lands. Despite the fact that most of the rebellions were bloodily suppressed, the inhabitants of the island never gave up the idea of finally freeing themselves from the yoke of slavery. Finally, after many centuries of efforts, at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a chance to carry out a successful uprising, which finally opened the way to freedom and unification with Greece. The Turkish army tried to suppress these national uprisings until the very end. However, the weakened Ottoman Empire could not remain deaf to the international outrage caused by these brutal interventions by the Turks.

Finally, after nearly seven centuries of occupation and slavery, in 1898 the last Turkish soldiers left Crete, and the island gained autonomy, although still under Turkish protectorate. However, the Cretan revolutionaries did not fight only to throw off the Turkish yoke. They wrote "Union or Death" on their banners. This was the reason why they never accepted the autonomy of Crete under Turkish rule. Only that they had to wait another 15 years for the unification of Crete with Greece.

The conclusion of the union with Greece was actually signed in 1912 and was the last stage of the struggle for independence. The ceremony that took place on December 1, 1913 was only a symbolic seal of the unification of Crete with Greece.

Today's celebrations in Chania

Gosia,  2022-12-01 19:43:52

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