Celebrating in King Otto’s Greece

The heavy-handed regime of King Otto of Bavaria introduced the ritual of national celebrations in Greece in 1833. The monarchy instituted annual celebrations for occasions such as the apovatíria—the anniversary of Otto’s landing in Nafplio—and also organized festivities for some of the king’s other...

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Main Authors: Panayotis Kimourtzis, Anna Mandilara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online 2023-02-01
Series:Journal of Festive Studies
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Online Access:https://journals.h-net.org/jfs/article/view/73
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author Panayotis Kimourtzis
Anna Mandilara
author_facet Panayotis Kimourtzis
Anna Mandilara
author_sort Panayotis Kimourtzis
collection DOAJ
description The heavy-handed regime of King Otto of Bavaria introduced the ritual of national celebrations in Greece in 1833. The monarchy instituted annual celebrations for occasions such as the apovatíria—the anniversary of Otto’s landing in Nafplio—and also organized festivities for some of the king’s other public appearances (departures, arrivals, inauguration of various institutions). The festivities were primarily based on the traditions of European royal courts and secondarily on the protocol of the Orthodox Church. The monarchy and its concomitant institutions, the church (with its religious ceremonies) and the army (with its hierarchy), offered a familiar and safe spectacle with their firmly established rites such as parades, processions, hymns, and chants. Given the scanty financial resources of the Greek state during Otto’s reign, sponsoring such celebrations required a delicate balance. Focusing on the example of the anniversary of the Greek War of Independence on March 25, 1838, this article emphasizes the regime’s effort to stage said celebrations in a manner befitting both the significance of each event and the king’s grandeur without provoking public sentiment with the high cost of the celebrations or with events that were unfamiliar to the inhabitants of the Greek capital, Athens.
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spelling doaj-art-29ce8fa3d41a45af9bff940e7aeeb09e2025-08-20T02:32:18ZengH-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences OnlineJournal of Festive Studies2641-99392023-02-014114416410.33823/jfs.2022.4.1.7362Celebrating in King Otto’s GreecePanayotis Kimourtzis0Anna Mandilara1Full Professor - University of the Aegean/GreeceUniversity of IoanninaThe heavy-handed regime of King Otto of Bavaria introduced the ritual of national celebrations in Greece in 1833. The monarchy instituted annual celebrations for occasions such as the apovatíria—the anniversary of Otto’s landing in Nafplio—and also organized festivities for some of the king’s other public appearances (departures, arrivals, inauguration of various institutions). The festivities were primarily based on the traditions of European royal courts and secondarily on the protocol of the Orthodox Church. The monarchy and its concomitant institutions, the church (with its religious ceremonies) and the army (with its hierarchy), offered a familiar and safe spectacle with their firmly established rites such as parades, processions, hymns, and chants. Given the scanty financial resources of the Greek state during Otto’s reign, sponsoring such celebrations required a delicate balance. Focusing on the example of the anniversary of the Greek War of Independence on March 25, 1838, this article emphasizes the regime’s effort to stage said celebrations in a manner befitting both the significance of each event and the king’s grandeur without provoking public sentiment with the high cost of the celebrations or with events that were unfamiliar to the inhabitants of the Greek capital, Athens.https://journals.h-net.org/jfs/article/view/73greeceottonian monarchystate symbolismstate holidaysstate protocolfestival economicsnineteenth century
spellingShingle Panayotis Kimourtzis
Anna Mandilara
Celebrating in King Otto’s Greece
Journal of Festive Studies
greece
ottonian monarchy
state symbolism
state holidays
state protocol
festival economics
nineteenth century
title Celebrating in King Otto’s Greece
title_full Celebrating in King Otto’s Greece
title_fullStr Celebrating in King Otto’s Greece
title_full_unstemmed Celebrating in King Otto’s Greece
title_short Celebrating in King Otto’s Greece
title_sort celebrating in king otto s greece
topic greece
ottonian monarchy
state symbolism
state holidays
state protocol
festival economics
nineteenth century
url https://journals.h-net.org/jfs/article/view/73
work_keys_str_mv AT panayotiskimourtzis celebratinginkingottosgreece
AT annamandilara celebratinginkingottosgreece