Greece National Anthem

Listen to National Anthem

Anthem Lyrics English

We knew thee of old,

Oh, divinely restored,

By the lights of thine eyes

And the light of thy Sword

From the graves of our slain

Shall thy valour prevail

As we greet thee again-

Hail, Liberty! Hail!

Long time didst thou dwell

Mid the peoples that mourn,

Awaiting some voice

That should bid thee return.

Ah, slow broke that day

And no man dared call,

For the shadow of tyranny

Lay over all:

And we saw thee sad-eyed,

The tears on thy cheeks

While thy raiment was dyed

In the blood of the Greeks.

Yet, behold now thy sons

With impetuous breath

Go forth to the fight

Seeking Freedom or Death.

From the graves of our slain

Shall thy valour prevail

As we greet thee again-

Hail, Liberty! Hail!

Greece Flag

Flag History

The nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the war cry of independence. Eleutheria i Thanatos (Freedom or Death). The blue stands for the pure Greek sky and recalls that God inspired the Greek people to fight for independence in spite of all the odds. The white symbolizes the purity and sacred character of the stuggle for liberation from Turkish tyranny.

Flag Date of Adoption

1832

Flag Symbolism

nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country

Back to Greece History

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