Athens Changing of the Guard

On Sunday morning, Steve, Amy and I walked to Syntagma Square to watch the Changing of the Guard. The Evzones (a special army unit) marched from their barracks to the Hellenic Parliament building, accompanied by a military band. Their distinctive high-stepping stride and traditional uniforms were unlike anything I had seen before.

After this short parade, the official Changing of the Guard took place: a fresh pair of soldiers replaced the pair that had just finished their one-hour shift guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The soldiers’ distinctive “march” was slow and stylized. Amy agreed it was more like a dance step than a military stride.

After the crowd had dispersed, we stayed and watched as an officer inspected the two soldiers now standing guard. They remained absolutely still while he meticulously straightened their uniforms, which included a red fez with black tassel, white shirt with wide sleeves, embroidered black vest, white pleated kilt, black garters, and shoes with black pom-poms. In keeping with tradition, the Evzones’ kilts have exactly 400 pleats, and they had to look perfect!

These two soldiers would stand guard for one hour. The concept was similar to the Changing of the Guard in London and Washington D.C., but the march and the uniforms were very different, and unique to Greece.

The Athens Changing of the Guard takes place daily on the hour. On Sundays at 11:00am, there is a more formal ceremony with music and official uniforms.