My Favorite Thing

Changing of the Guard

 at the Unknown Soldier

 Monument 

The Evzones are

 symbols of bravery

 and courage to the Greeks. 

Every hour something cool happens across from Syntagma square in front of the Parliament building. There is a special monument to the Unknown Soldier. Evzones, a special unit of the Hellenic army, guard the monument. They also guard the Presidential Mansion. They began this ritual in 1868 where the guards change on the hour. The soldiers of the Presidential Guard are selected according to their height, excellent physical condition, and psychological state as well as character and morality, as they follow a hard training before they become part of this honorary unit. The training lasts for one month and includes exercises to keep the body and mind still. Apart from staying still, the soldiers must also not make any face or eye move and must not show any expression. They must be fit enough to raise their legs to shoulder height, completely straight, as they march back and forth each day. This is all accomplished through five weeks of top-secret training that almost half of all chosen candidates fail to complete. 

Any form of communication while standing on duty is forbidden. However, a soldier in regular military uniform always accompanies each pair of evzones. The evzone is allowed to communicate with him by hitting the butt of his gun on the ground. The soldier then moves in front of him, asks him questions, and the evzone blinks once for ‘yes,’ twice for ‘no’ and three times for ‘I don’t know. We watched as several times the tourists got close or wanted to have a picture taken with the soldier and they hit the butt of the gun on the ground. 

The uniform has 400 folds to represent the 400 years of Ottoman occupation over the Greeks.  It takes 6 months to complete the embroidered vest. Sixty nails are beat into the soles of their shoes (tsarouchis) making a distinct sound as they scrape it along the marble. The sound is symbolic: it's made so that their ancestors can hear that they are Greeks and are alive and free. The tsarouchi’s pompons would protect the toes from the snow and cold, and helped make the shoe waterproof. The pompons also served as a handy place to stash a small knife. It takes an hour for the soldier to get dressed for duty. They pull on tights, secure undergarments with belts and iron out bell bottomed shirt sleeves. During the changing, they work in pairs so they can perfectly coordinate their moves. 

The steps that the official ceremony requires at the time of changing are carried out in really slow motion to protect their blood circulation after 60 min of immobility. 

Why did I spend so much time writing about one of my favorite things? I am fascinated by their uniforms, their discipline and the reflection of Greek heritage shown in a most unique way. It is important that we realize how we reflect our belief in Jesus Christ by the way we dress, act, and learn to be disciplined in the way we interact and talk to others. It is good to listen more than be heard, to take time to pay attention to what is happening around us and then use those tools to serve others. 

God will use you to make the lives of others better. --Dieter F. Uchtdorf