With a thanksgiving service at 10.30 at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and a parade of schoolchildren and associations at 11:10, Spata will be celebrating the anniversary of 28 October 1940 on Wednesday 28 October. The Municipality of Spata–Artemida published the programme for the Municipal Unit of Spata today, Monday 19 October.
From Monday 26 October
The general flag-raising ceremony begins at 08:00 on Monday 26 October and continues until sunset on Wednesday 28 October. On the evenings of Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 October, all public and municipal buildings, the premises of public-law bodies and banks will be illuminated. Whilst this requirement applies to public buildings, every year many homes and shops in Spata also fly the flag from their balconies.
The programme for Wednesday 28 October
- 07:30: joyful ringing of bells in all the churches.
- 10:00: the dignitaries (the mayor, deputy mayors, the chair and members of the Municipal and Local Councils, the commanders of the Spata Police Station and Security Department, and school headteachers) gather at the Town Hall, on the corner of Vasileos Pavlou and Fleming Streets.
- 10.20: associations, clubs and organisations, together with their executive committees, as well as pupils from all schools, gather at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
- 10.25: the dignitaries arrive at the Cathedral.
- 10.30: Official thanksgiving service. The day’s commemorative address is delivered by Theodoros Kontomaris, headteacher of Spata 3rd Primary School.
- 10.50: a memorial service at the War Memorial, wreath-laying, a minute’s silence and the National Anthem.
- 11.10: parade of pupils and associations along the main avenue, in front of the dignitaries.
- 18.30: official lowering of the flag.
The master of ceremonies is Fotini Nathanail, a municipal employee, and the parade coordinator is Vasileios Batsios, a Physical Education teacher at Spata General Lyceum.
What you need to know
Pupils are to arrive at the Cathedral by 10.20, ‘in an orderly manner’, under the supervision of their headteachers. The meeting point and time for each class are determined by the school, so parents are advised to confirm these details with the class teacher or the teacher in charge. School celebrations to mark the anniversary usually take place the day before, on Tuesday 27 October, with a programme announced by each school.
28 October is a public holiday: schools, public services, banks and the Town Hall are closed. From 10.00 until the end of the parade, the centre of Spata is packed with people. If you don’t need to, leave your car at home and walk. Any traffic arrangements are decided by the Traffic Police, and had not been announced by Monday.
The programme for the Artemida Municipal Unit had not been posted on the council’s website by the afternoon of Monday 19 October. We will publish it as soon as it is announced.
Source: Municipality of Spata–Artemida, Mayor’s Office, ‘Programme of events to mark the National Anniversary of 28 October 1940 — Spata Municipal Unit’, spata-artemis.gr, 19 October 2026.
