400 years of slavery

Katsantonis

KATSANTONIS

Τhe first among the klephts

Τhe first

among the klephts

KATSANTONIS

“The body doesn’t matter, Pasha. What matters is what is hidden inside it, what is your purpose and what you want to do with your life...

...Up in the mountains, I fight for freedom. I fight for my Greek brothers. That for which I fight, is not yours to give to me despite all of your glory and wealth.”

His pen

was his weapon

Rigas Feraios

RIGAS FERAIOS

Rigas Feraios

RIGAS FERAIOS

His pen was his weapon

“Rigas became the great benefactor of our nation. His ink will be precious before God, as will his holy blood”,

said Theodoros Kolokotronis about Rigas Feraios, whose words raised an entire nation.

Saint Constantine of Hydra

The wounded

fighter

SAINT CONSTANTINE
OF HYDRA

Saint Constantine of Hydra

SAINT CONSTANTINE
OF HYDRA

The wounded fighter

In life, each one of us gives a fight. Sometimes we are not succeeding and are making mistakes. A moment comes, though, when God helps us understand our mistakes and calls us again to approach Him. If we listen to Him, then in front of us opens up a path never ending… This path was walked by Saint Constantine of Hydra.

Thourios

The lyrics of this song are the first verses from the poem “Thourios” (meaning “rousing song”) by Rigas Feraios. The poem describes how difficult life is under the rule of the Turks. This bitter slavery forced many to live on the mountains under severe circumstances. However, there they could live free. It is this much desired freedom that the poet is calling them to fight for. To fight for even one hour of freedom. We, today, enjoy this freedom thanks to our ancestors. Let us keep it from whatever can “enslave” our body or our soul.

Lyrics (GR)

Ως πότε, παλικάρια,

θα ζούμε στα στενά,

μονάχοι σαν λιοντάρια,

στις ράχες, στα βουνά;

 

Καλύτερα μιας ώρας

ελεύθερη ζωή,

παρά σαράντα χρόνια

σκλαβιά και φυλακή.

 

Σπηλιές να κατοικούμε,

να βλέπουμε κλαδιά,

να φεύγουμε απ’ τον κόσμο

για την πικρή σκλαβιά.

 

Καλύτερα μιας ώρας

ελεύθερη ζωή,

παρά σαράντα χρόνια

σκλαβιά και φυλακή.

Ως πότε, παλικάρια,

θα ζούμε στα στενά,

μονάχοι σαν λιοντάρια,

στις ράχες, στα βουνά;

 

Καλύτερα μιας ώρας

ελεύθερη ζωή,

παρά σαράντα χρόνια

σκλαβιά και φυλακή.

 

Σπηλιές να κατοικούμε,

να βλέπουμε κλαδιά,

να φεύγουμε απ’ τον κόσμο

για την πικρή σκλαβιά.

 

Καλύτερα μιας ώρας

ελεύθερη ζωή,

παρά σαράντα χρόνια

σκλαβιά και φυλακή.

For how long, lads,

shall we live in straits,

alone like lions,

on ridges and mountains?

 

Living an hour

of free life is better

rather than forty years

of slavery and imprisonment.

 

(For how long) shall we live in caves,

shall branches be our sight,

shall we get away from the world

due to the bitter slavery?

 

Living an hour

of free life is better

rather than forty years

of slavery and imprisonment.

Lyrics (EN)

For how long, lads,

shall we live in straits,

alone like lions,

on ridges and mountains?

 

Living an hour

of free life is better

rather than forty years

of slavery and imprisonment.

 

(For how long) shall we live in caves,

shall branches be our sight,

shall we get away from the world

due to the bitter slavery?

 

Living an hour

of free life is better

rather than forty years

of slavery and imprisonment.

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Website purpose

On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, the website epanastasi1821.online aims to aid the younger generations in becoming familiar with the history of our homeland and getting inspired by it. Its purpose is solely educational and not profit- or advertisement-driven.

Intellectual Property Rights

For the creation of this website we used images from various sources.

We reserve all rights only for the content we created ourselves (passages - song performance - structure).