ABSTRACT
The Greek Revolution is one of the most significant holidays celebrated by the Greek Orthodox parochial and afternoon school communities in the United States. This chapter offers a historical analysis of the ways in which Greek Orthodox schools under the purview of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America commemorated the Greek Revolution in 1971, the 150-year anniversary of Greek independence. Celebratory pageants in Greek schools emphasized the following themes: the contributions of the Church and clergy in the revolution, a (re)production of a nationalist narrative of Greek history focusing on male leaders, and an emphasis on Philhellenes who supported the Greek struggle. This chapter argues that the traditional thematic elements along with their symbolic manifestations as expressed in the Greek schools should be understood within the broader historical context of the preceding decades during which the Greek Orthodox Church pushed to affirm its influence as a mainstream religious institution in the United States.
