Paying tribute - Free Besieged / 2021 / Community Council of Messolonghi

Exodus Memorial Feasts are the diamond in the crown of Messolonghi. Every year, paying tribute to the Free Besieged is a sacred duty of the city of Messolonghi.

On the 10th of April 1826,
10,600 besieged, decided to live only as Free people.
They would accept nothing less than the right to self-determination. The prospect of death was less terrifying than living as slaves.
6,200 pairs of ears were sent to the Sultan as evidence that Messolonghi had fallen. The town’s unbroken spirit was not among them.
1,200 free-besieged managed to survive. All of them, be they survivors or fallen, reinforced the righteousness of the Greeks and the Philhellenes’ struggle. They imparted to the next generations the true meaning of “Freedom or Death”.
Sacred City, Messolonghi
April 2021 "

Community Council of Messolonghi decided to support people of the city to express themselves by creating this video. They made their effort, with warmth and love, during health restrictions (respecting all means of protection).
Every year, on Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, a memorial procession is held that accompanies the icon of the Exodus from the Metropolitan Church of Agios Spyridon to the Garden of Heroes.
Thousands of residents of the city but also people from all over Greece and around the world flock to Messolonghi to honor the self-sacrifice of the heroic incident of Exodus.
The pandemic that plagues humanity removed the possibility of physical presence and honor both in April 2020 and this year. This fact, however, did not prevent the inhabitants of the city to honor the memory of their ancestors.
Citizens of Messolonghi participate in the video, following the route of the procession, symbolically transporting incense to Heroes Tomb.
The video is addressed to every person who would like to be in Sacred City of Messolonghi and health restrictions kept him away.
Yours sincerely,
Community Council of Messolonghi

Creative team:
George Lampropoulos
Nerantzis Papadopoulos
Georgia Vlachogianni
Triantafilos Lampos

Participants:
Father Konstantinos Dimitriou
Katerina Lampropoulou
Pericles Zaimis
Nikolas Papaioannou
Zafira Kabeya
Georgina Sklirou
Giannis Stamatis
Nikos Lyros
George Kontaris
Eleftheria Giagis
George Zohios

Hector Koutsangelis
Thanos Pavlakis
Olympia Katsarou

Melenia Haidi
Christoforos Kostinis
Eleni Kakou

Alexandra Benetatou
Apostolis Plakidas
Ioannis Antonopoulos

Special Thanks:
Holy Metropolis of Aetolia and Acarnania
Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra of Sacred City of Messolonghi "Christos Kapsalis"
Philharmonic Orchestra "Iosif Rogon"
Philharmonic Orchestra "Dionysios Solomos" Sacred City of Messolonghi
Costume and Armor Historical Society "O Liaros"
Dimitris Tsigaridas
Athanasios Raftopoulos

Translation: Panagiotis Kotinis

Production Organization:
George Lambropoulos
Nerantzis Papadopoulos
Production:
Community Council of Messolonghi

Music licensed by Audio Network (license agreement no 762130)