Inte avid JeserK Niki Avgerinos tT J ohn Howdy Mrs. Raymond UWRT 1103-£01 MW 8am 28 October 2015 My Big Fat Greek Family 7¢. Olovur family My only country of origin is Greece. The Greek flag is sky blue and white and it is set up similar to the American flag. Instead of thirteen stripes it has nine alternating stripes. Instead of the fifty stars, the Greek flag has a white cross with a sky blue background. The nine stripes stand for the nine syllables of the country’s motto that translates to “Freedom or Death.” The cross comes from the fact that all the Hellenic War flags have some type of cross on them (“The Greek Flag”). The cross also symbolizes Christianity which is the country’s most common religion. The fldg Uurrent was first adopted at the beginning of the Greek Revolution in 1821 (Sache). The eae originally just a blue background with a simple white cross (“The Greek Flag”). The flag eventually made its way to what it is now. The only significant changes made was the addition of the nine stripes. The National Anthem is based off of the “Hymn to the Freedom” (“Greece”). It was inspired after Greece won the war against the Ottoman Empire. ‘The reason why my grandparents left Greece was because they wanted a better life for themselves and their future family. My grandparents on both sides of my family fated in the mid 20" century. Both of my grandfathers came over by boat and I believe both of my & abd more pnatnted My grandfather on my dad’s side of the family first came-over here and started out making grandmothers came over by plane. money by being a photographer. He then joined the American army and was apart of the army for four years before retiring. He didn’t go into combat at all while serving the country. After myLayne’ Py grandmother joined him ye here in the US, they started their family and eventually owned and operated a restaurant outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My grandfather on my mom’s side came Yu here to America to work with his brother, eventually he went back to Greece to get my grandmother and they started their family in the US. Over the span of forty years my ‘grandfather began to make his enormous impact on the community and on the island of Wildwood, New Jersey. He began by starting his own restaurant, The Original Hot Spot, on the famous boardwalk in 1962. He continued to expand by creating about seven more Hot Spots that still stand today. All of these restaurants have stayed and will continue to stay in the family. The Hot Spots are very famous among the locals and the many visitors the island has. Along with the restaurants, my grandfather along with my grandmother started, ran, and owned two hotels on the island, One of which was sold and the other is where my grandparents retired and will live out the rest of their days, My grandfather took part in the buying, selling, constructing and designing ‘many properties that are in Wildwood as well as being a very active member in not only the church community but also the island’s community as a whole. Both sets of my grandparents have won a handful of awards within the community and the church. A lot of my aunts, uncles, cousins and even my parents have won awards here and there but nothing too spectacular. dC “An SdOW LY worles Viteakiinanis: ‘Ways to got Greek citizens Living in Greece A practical guide to moving, living, working & traveling in Greece, plus musing and misadventures from an American in Athens > Ways to get Greek citizenship Ways to get Greek citizenship March 16, 2007 at 20:34 - Who is eligible for Greek citizenship? With the 52-page Greek Citizenship Code passed March 2010, there are eight ways to acquire Greek citizenship, which is the first step to applying for a Greek passport and Greek national ID/tautotita. However, the Greek government froze all applications for foreigners of no Greek origin as of November 2012. An official revision promised by early 2014 was drafted in November 2014, but nothing more has been done and politicians — including neo-Nazis that Greeks elected to Parliament — are in no hurry to revise the law. Only persons of Greek blood (jus sanguinis) can obtain citizenship at this time, as it had been previous to 2010. Read the section “Challenge to the New Greek Citizenship Code,” which follows the bulleted list. By Birth in Greece to a Greek mother and/or father: A child born in Greece to at least one parent who was a Greek citizen at the time of the child’s birth acquires Greek citizenship. By Birth to Non-Greek Parents who are Long-Term Residents of Greece: A child born in Greece to two non-Greek parents acquires Greek citizenship, if both parents are legally living in Greece with the proper residence/work permits for a minimum of five (5) consecutive years. Deadline to apply is within three (3) years of a child reaching age 18. *Still Frozen By Attending School in Greece: A child of long-term residents living in Greece can obtain Greek citizenship if he/she lives legally with the proper residence permit and has attended primary/secondary school in Greece for at least six (6) years before age 18, approximately. Deadline to apply is within three (3) years of a child finishing his/her six (6) years of schooling. *Still Frozen By Claim of Greek Origin through an Ancestor: For those born outside Greece, but have a Greek father and/or Greek mother born in Greece. Grandmothers and grandfathers are also considered, but the process is longer. See “ i which I've provided as a step-by-step guide to gathering your documents and where to apply, plus the personal experiences of those who successfully did it. ‘+ By Recognition: For minors under the age of 18 born out of wedlock, then legally recognized by a Greek national born in Greece. © By Adoption: For minors under the age of 18 who were legally adopted by Greek nationals/citizens.liners ‘Ways to get Greek citizenship + By Enlistment in the Greek Armed Services * By Naturalization: For foreigners of no Greek origin who have long-term residency in Greece. *Marriage to a Greek citizen does not grant Greek citizenship or a Greek passport to a non-Greek spouse; he/she must go through the naturalization process after three (3) to seven (7) consecutive years legal residence in Greece, proving fluency in Greek and earning a certificate in ancient Greek history/culture. Click the link to see all of the requirements. *Still Frozen Laws are not retroactive. You cannot apply for Greek citizenship under today’s laws based on birth to immigrant parents or a period of schooling/residence that occurred in the past if you no longer live in Greece. There are no other ways of getting Greek citizenship unless the government bestows an honorary citizenship. This is usually reserved for humanitarian reasons or for athletes, artists or other world ci who are Philhellenes that have done extraordinary things to promote Greece. *Article last updated January 2, 2015, but answers in ‘Comments’ reflect a specific case or whatever laws were in effect at the time. Warning Embassies have posted outdated English-language versions of the Greek citizenship code, which is why I did my own translation and update this website on a rolling basis. Also note that official websites, expat forums/websites, lawyers and government sources in different countries have plagiarized my articles without permission, which violates copyright and the law. Therefore, you are not necessarily getting confirmation from different sources. Be careful who you trust. Challenge to New Greek Citizenship Code 3838/2010 ‘A supreme court ruled certain sections of the new Greek Citizenship Code ‘unconstitutional’ in February 2011, namely those that grant Greek citizenship via attending school in Greece and birth in Greece to non-Greek parents with long-term residency, plus lowering the residence requirement for Greek citizenship via naturalization from 10 of 12 years to only seven (7) years and lowering the fee from 1500 euros to 700 euros. ‘The court was scheduled to issue a final decision at the end of 2011, but ex-PM George Papandreou — the man who ordered overhaul of Greek citizenship laws — stepped down November 201 1, and the Council of State upheld “some sections” were unconstitutional in November 2012. Even before this ruling, the government that took power in June 2012 said they would change them again. This is not surprising since nationalists and fascists now sit in Parliament. ‘On November 30, 2012 the minister of interior froze all procedures pertaining to granting Greek citizenship to persons of non-Greek origin. Therefore, until the ban is lifted, it is not possible for anyone to acquire Greek citizenship, a Greek passport or Greek ID unless they are of Greek descent/origin/blood.Avio1s- Ways to get Greek citizenship. On February 5, 2013, Greece announced that all non-Greek foreigners granted Greek citizenship under the 2010 reform may lose their voting rights and, possibly, their Greek passports and Greek IDs. On October 15, 2013 the Ministry of Interior said that a new Immigration Code (K@Sixa. Metavéortevons) under 4151/2013 had been drafted and would impact citizenship to foreigners, but this was never debated in Parliament or officially published into law. On February 14, 2014, the government stated that the new immigration bill does not and will not address Greek citizenship for foreigners, and all non-Greeks and the Greek diaspora can no longer vote in elections. On November 18, 2014, it was announced that a bill had been drafted to replace or unfreeze parts of the 2010 Greek citizenship law that would apply to 50,000 non-EU immigrants in Greece. However, similar to 2013, nothing has been debated or passed into law. Only 1,358 non-Greek children have secured Greek citizenship as second-generation immigrants born in Greece and 1,295 by attending school as of end of December 2011; another 7,700 applications are pending or have already been rejected. Fears of 200,000 to a half million non-Greeks “becoming Greek” and impacting elections are fictional. ‘A majority 90 percent, or 200,000 applications in the queue, belong to foreign-born Greeks staking a claim via ancestry or descent. Acquiring Greek citizenship as an investor Citizenship cannot be acquired by simply being an investor, only through the methods listed above. Residence permits are granted for a duration of three years should a of Interior and started in Greece. However, citizenship would still require a non-EU citizen to go through Special visas and residency permits were discussed November 2012 and circulars published in May 2013 for certain categories of homeowners. See “How to get a visa and permit for residency in Greece.” In November 2014, the interior ministry discussed granting Greek citizenship to non-EU citizens who purchase a home valued at a minimum of 250,000 euros. However, nothing has been drafted or passed into law, and the government was dissolved in December 2014. ‘The prime minister mentioned the possibility of offering Greek citizenship to an elite class of millionaire investors during his May 2013 trip to China, but (again) nothing was done and similar promises have been made in the past and never kept. You CANNOT get Greek citizenship by buying a home or owning a business. Beware of lawyers and real estate websites using misleading information to promote services and lure clients. Marrying for Greek citizenship Citizenship is not transferable, so it is not possible to acquire Greek nationality/citizenship and a Greek passport by marriage alone to a Greek citizen. The wife or husband must claim Greek citizenship by being of Greek origin/blood/ancestry or live in Greece for many years and go through the naturalization process described in ‘By Naturalization’ from the first section above.1201s Ways to get Greek citizenship Important note for men Men who are under the age of 45 and interested in acquiring Greek citizenship should see the category ” to determine their lawful, mandatory obligations. Dual citizenship Many countries, including the United States, Canada and Australia, allow dual citizenship under the right circumstances. Americans can see, “American and Greek dual citizenship” for details. Other nationalities should consult directly with governmental authorities or officials, not forums, lawyers advertising on the Internet, friends or relatives. Sources “Greek Citizenship Code prior to 2010” (in English, brief/informal translation) “Greek Citizenship Code from 2010“: PEK 49, 3838/2010 (in Greek and ruled unconstitutional) English translation of the new Greek Citizenship Code (created on my own time, not available to the public) “Court questions legality of new Greek citizenship code” — Kathimerini — Eleftherotypia ie — Kathimerini “Greek citizens in Turkey expelled in 1962” — ees Gazette “Greek citizenship up, ruling looms” — Athens News “New Greek citizenship law has little impact” — Kathimerini “Foreigners still fighting for right to Greek citizenship” — Global Post Related Posts Shortlink: http://bit.ly/greekcitizenship Discussed but not implemented hitp://www tovima.gr/society/article/?aid=467606 http://www ekathimerini.com/4degi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_25/08/2012_458259 http://www tovima.gr/society/article/2aid=483806 http://www ekathimerini.com/4degi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_14/11/2012_470017 http://www tovima.gr/society/article/2aid=483908 http://www naftemporiki.gr/news/estory.asp?id=2259859 http://www tovima.gr/society/article/2aid=4872842015 Greece kes * ‘This page spat of © FOTW Fags OF The World website Greece Edidba Last modified: 2015-08-10 by ivan sache Keywords: greece | Links: FOTW homepage | scarch | disclaimer and copyright | write us minrons National flag of Greece - Image by Zeljko Heimer, 10 October 2001 Flag adopted 22 December 1978, coat of arms adopted 7 June 1975. Description: Nine horizontal stripes, in turn blue and white; a white cross on a blue square field in canton. Proportion: 2:3 Use: on land, as the civil, state and war flag; at sea, as the civil, state and war ensign. Colour approximate specifications (Album des Pavillons \pa\00\): * Blue: Pantone 286 C / CMYK (%) 100-60-0-5 On this page:AVV2015 Greece © Greek jact See also: Origin and meaning of the Greek flag The striped flag has been in use since 1822, and was approved in |832. The nine stripes are said to stand for the nine syllables of the Greek patriots’ motto, Eheveuc y @avatog (Freedom or Death), now the national motto of Greece. Paul Adams, 19 June 1995 Unofficial alternative Greek flag Simple cross Greek flag - Image by /van Sache, 19 June 1995 The simple white-cross-on-blue flag dates from |822, and was used as an alternative national flag, but only in land, not at sea. Only the striped flag was used at sea. From June |975 until December 1978 the plain cross flag was used as the only national flag. The situation is now reversed, and the striped flag is now the only official national flag, although the cross flag can still be seen in unofficial use. Paul Adams, 19 June 1995 The Hellenic Army's war flags are of the "simple cross" variety with the depiction of St. George slaying the dragon in the center of the cross. Although the official Hellenic flag (striped version) flies over all government installations - including those of the Hellenic Armed Forces - Hellenic Army units always parade with the previously referenced version of the simple cross flag. The same old flag is also used as part of the markings on Hellenic Armed Forces vehicles. Labros Pilalis, 13 September 2005ios Greece Shade of the Greek flag There is no officially prescribed shade of blue for the Greek flag (photo) in the 1978 Law. The 1970 Law that abolished the piain cross flag did not specify a particular shade either, but it did provide that all flags should conform with "prototype" flags lodged with two government departments. The shade of blue on the prototypes was, probably, very dark hence the very dark shade of flags made in 1970-1975. A lighter shade of blue is used nowadays (by convention, presumably) but still not as light s blue, Yannis Natsinas, 14 November 2000 Greek flag represented with "Bavarian" blue colour - Image by Tomislav Todorovié, 3 July 2013 According to Smith [sini82], the Greek flag was intermediate blue in the 19th century, which was derived from the flag of Bavaria, the then King's land of origin. According to the same source, while the Regime of the Colonels has introduced a very dark shade of blue, the flag law at the preparation time (1979) of the source's original edition (smi0| was prescribing "light blue", without a precise definition. However, the Bavarian flag was actually light blue, and in the bilingual (Greek and German) official gazette, where the 1833 Decree was published (scan), the Greek word x0avog was actually translated as himmelblau (sky blue) in German, On the other hand, several sources published in 1970s and 1980s did contain the images of Greek national flag in light blue color. A good example is Carmpton [cra84|, which depicted the flag in color B--. Tomislav Todorovié, 3 July 2013 ‘The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 Llocl2\) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval ‘by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be. For Greece, PMS reflex blue. The vertical flag is the horizontal version reversed and turned 90 degrees anti-clockwise - the cross at top left. Tan Sumner, 10 October 2012 Greek coat of armsGreek coat of arms - Image by Zeljko Heimer, 11 October 2001, after Album des Pavillons |pay00) The image shown above uses a "washed out" blue color. The blue color in the coat of arms is the same as the one used in the Hellenic flags, that is dark blue. The "washed out" blue belongs to the defunct and now non-existent coat of arms of the Kingdom of Greece. Labros Pilalis, 31 August 2005 Greek jack Greek jack - Image by Zeljko Heimer, 10 October 2001 According to Album des Pavillons |pay00|, the Greek jack is a blue square flag with a white cross throughout. The width of the cross is 1/Sth of the hoist width. Zeljko Heimer, 10 October 2001Ae Places to Greek History Map of Greece Athens map Facts & Trivia Do's & Dont's ‘The Evil Eye Facts about Greece Grook Flag Greek Name days Orthodoxy Grock Easter Working in Greece ‘The Greek Language Saints Animals & Plants Real Estate in Greece Job Forum Greek Music Greok food Ellada Peloponnesian War Greek ferries Corfu ferries ‘The Flag of Greece The Greek flag is called "Galanolefci" which means "blue and white” ‘Originally it was blue with a white diagonal cross. The cross is now situated in the upper left comer, and symbolizes the Christian faith, The Greek flag, as it stands, adopted by the First National Assembly of Epidaurus, which was convened in 1822. The need to build a ccertain lag for the new born state, was presented with the beginning of the Greek Revolution of 1821 and when the Greeks achieved their first victories against the Ottomans This was needed even as a means of rallying among all the groups and chieftains, who Lunt then they had their own flags and pennants, ‘There are many speculations about the > the Greek fag. Some of thom ey 8 Start Download syrbolsed te unre ee (Free) revolution fighters (White kilts of fighters inthe mainland and blue baggy trousers of the seafarers). Instant Free Download. PDF ion! Ila seo seid thatthe whe symbolizes Pronto 100% Full Version! the foam ofthe waves and the bive the sky of Greece. In addition alleged that white was the naval flag of the Greek i at the beginning ofthe revolution. ‘Another speculation is that blue isthe colour ofthe sea, and Greece being a seafarers country, it could hardly have any other colour. Blue i also a lucky colour, which will ward off evil according to superstition. White is the colour of freedom, and thats something the Greeks hold very dear after years of enslavement Lnder the Turks. However, we cart say definitely from were came from the colours ofthe Greek flag nds, The nine stripes each symbolize a syllable in the Greek motto of freedom: E-LEY-THE-RI-A-THA- NA-TOS, which translates Freedom or Death. For the nine stripes there are also different opinions, of which the most appropriate is probably the ‘one that says that in ancient times the number nine was sacred,ieee Greece » nationalanthems info Greece ‘The Greek Anthem is based on the "Hymn tothe Freedom, large 158 verse poem writen by Dionysios Solomos, a distinguished poet rom Zakynthos Island, was inspired by the Greek Revolution of 1821 againt the Ottoman Empire. During 1828 Nikolaos Mantzaros composed the music for Solomos' hymn, one version forthe ‘entre poem, and one or just the frst two stanzas. Although King Othon (Oto) decorated both of them for their ‘work (1845 and 1849), he didnot replace the Royal Anthem of that time withthe Sclomos/Mantzaros hymn. The ‘yal anthem then in use was a musical derivative from the German one, with a text glotying Othon and his ‘dynasty. After the overthrow ofthe dynasty the new King Goorge | and the Greek establehment decided to lok for clearty Greek work, both with respect to the poetry and the music. The “Hymn to the Freedom” was realy there ~ extremely popuiar since the Revoliton tines, often rected or sung during patiote meetings and celebrations, and the "Hymn to Freedom” (with Mantzaro's version fr the ft two stanzas only) became the national anthem, ‘The Greok anthem is also used in Cyprus, which has a substantial Greek communty. ‘Special thanks fo: Theo Styanides for he sheet music. ~ywos 05 tv Edel (Geo (Gene sep) "Yims tn Eletherar (Grok (Romeniaton) “Hymn Freedon (Engin ranaaton) Uris ‘ovens akan (Denis Slomos) Nmbhoos Macapo¢ lace Marta) Adopted ‘1004 ‘Sheet music Mane wan Gree ie (Grok sgt) lyies roo ye (Seok srt) Greek yres Romanzaton Enola vrsicaton (EGG mnt tr cress corns tition 9.0 Uneres es, Sen FA dts