The Evzones , Greece's Presidential Guards

The Evzones , Greece’s Presidential Guard

Contents hide

1 The Evzones , Greece’s Presidential Guard

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Etymology

1.3 Video – Changing of the guard

1.4 Tsolias – Colloquial Word for the Evzone Soldier

1.5 Background of Evzones’ Uniform

1.6 Contemporary duties

1.7 Changing of the guard

1.8 The Evzone Uniform of Today

Introduction

The Greek Presidential Guard or Evzones are a group of elite Greek soldiers who are trained to perform various ceremonial duties. They stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Palace and also raise and lower the flag at the Acropolis every Sunday. The Evzones uniform is handmade with intricate detail, taking many months to complete and is a symbol of the country’s nationalistic pride, representing the significant battles fought throughout Greece’s modern history. The formal version of the uniform is white and worn on Sundays and at official occasions, with a doulama or tunic worn at other times, khaki in summer and navy blue in winter. After the Parthenon, they are probably the second most photographed sight in Athens; every day visitors from around the world stand before them posing for selfies, admiring their fine features and wondering aloud about their “dresses”.

The Evzones : The sight of skirt-wearing soldiers standing motionless in front of the Parliament on Syntagma Square is a scene that you can admire day and night. The Evzones, or Presidential Guard, have been on duty since 1868. And while they perform other duties such as raising and lowering the flag on top of the rock of the Acropolis, these real-life Greek statues are mostly known for their uniforms, which includes a skirt-like garment (fustanella) and a pair of tsarouhia – red leather clogs with black pompoms. But there is more to these men than their unique uniforms.

Etymology

The first mention of the word “Evzone” (or back then, the Ancient Greek term was “evzonoi”) can be traced to Ancient Greece. However, back then, the word didn’t refer to a uniform of any kind. The word first appears in Homer’s Iliad and is an adjective that means “well-belted.” Literally, it was a reference to an “elite man” and not necessarily a soldier of any kind. Now, the word simply refers to the soldiers whose purpose it is to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It can also reference the traditional uniform itself.

Video – Changing of the guard

Tsolias – Colloquial Word for the Evzone Soldier

Evzone isn’t the only word that is used to describe the soldiers themselves. As a side note, Evzone soldiers are often referred to as Tsolias colloquially. However, the term “Tsolias” is usually reserved for members of Greece’s modern military. Though, these soldiers could take on the ceremonial duties, such as becoming a member of the Presidential Guard. In that case, they would become “Evzones” and would wear the traditional Evzone uniform.

Background of Evzones’ Uniform

After the Greek War for Independence concluded, King Otto of Bavaria became King of Greece. Though it lasted for thirty years, his reign was a turbulent one. He was never fully embraced by the Greek people, especially since he and his wife were considered outsiders. During this time, even the Evzone’s manner of dress underwent some changes. In 1833, a Bavarian-inspired Evzone uniform was introduced. It featured blue trousers, a tailcoat, and a shako, a type of military helmet. It was changed in 1837 to something that more closely resembles today’s uniform.

Contemporary duties

The Presidential Guard is naturally not involved in any fighting activities, although up to WW II, it was regarded the strongest and bravest part of the Greek army. Their uniform is a
reproduction of the outfit proudly worn by guerrilla fighters during the Ottoman Occupation of Greece (1453 – 1821). Nowadays, young men doing their army duty are hand-picked for the
Presidential guard according to specific categories such as height (they have to be over 1,87 meters– 6,13 feet), character, moral outlook and good health, general appearance and stamina.
Those who join the corps, first complete five and a half months of their basic military training and then receive one month of specific training as Presidential Guard, which they serve for the following five months. The notoriously tough specific t raining involves the development of the ability to stand still for an hour and the perfecting of their trademark synchronized ceremonial gait when changing guard.

The Presidential guard has the following duties:

on a 24 hour bases, guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Presidential Mansion and the gates of the Presidential Guard training camp.
the official raising and lowering of the flag (at 9am and 6pm respectively) every Sunday at the Acropolis.
accompanying the President of the Republic on official foreign visits .
offering honors and welcoming foreign officials on visit .
an annual parade on New York’s 5th Av . in celebration of Greece’s 25 March Independence Day

Changing of the guard

Every Sunday at 1 1:00, tourists gather in front of the Parliament building on Syntagma Square (Plateia Syntagmatos) to watch the ceremonial changing of the guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The guards (Evzones) wear their traditional white kilts, red and black caps and red clogs with pompoms only that d ay or on special occasions. On every other day, the
Evzones wear regular khaki uniforms with skirts and the changing of the guard takes place every hour on the hour, 24 hours a day. The guards are tall and well-trained soldiers. They
belong to the “Proedriki Froura”, the guards of the President of Democracy. It is a high honor for every Greek soldier to be chosen as an Evzone.

Each soldier mounts guard for one hour at a stretch, 3 times every 48 hours. They work in pairs in order to perfect the coordination of their movements. Originally founded as a royal guard in 1868, this elite corps has a bout 120 members and enjoys much better accommodations and conditions than the typical Greek army conscript. Much seen and photographed by international tourists and local visitors alike, the ‘tall guys’ guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the parliament (Vouli) are famous in their own right.

The Evzone Uniform of Today

Today’s Evzone uniform is complicated. It has around twelve parts, and each needs to be in place. The Evzones form the Presidential Guard, a prestigious discipline for the soldiers. Their main function is to guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier but they also march in official parades, as well. Note that there are also some differences depending on which part of Greece the uniform originated. The uniforms (there are several kinds) are all hand-made at the tailor’ s department of the Presidential Guard training camp. There, some ten individuals, skilled in hand-embroidery and machine sewing, painstaking prepare the uniforms over long periods of time. The Evzones waistcoat alone takes up to one month to sew. World-famous ‘tsarouchi’ shoes are also manufactured at the camp’s shoe-making department by three to four men trained in the craft. Each tsarouchi, a leather clog with black pompoms, weighs 1,5 kilogram and has sixty nails studded into the soles so that the Evzones don’t slip

The Evzones : The parts of uniforms symbolize many things. Fustanella of the official white uniform, a kilt-like garment has exactly 400 pleats; each one represents one year under Ottoman occupation. We all wear the red hat phareon, which symbolizes the blood of the dead, and it has a long black tassel which symbolizes the relatives’ tears shed during the war. The waistcoat that we wear, known as femeli, is really something special, and it is full of symbolism, too. On the back, you’ll see the alpha and omega embroidered, as well as crosses representing Christ, and the symbol that represents infinity. This waistcoat is hand-embroidered, and it takes six months to finish it. Besides these most amusing parts of the garment, we also wear a cotton undershirt; white woolen stockings known as periskelides; black-tasseled knee-garters called kaltsodetes, blue and white Cretan fringes; and a leather cartridge belt. On our feet, you’ll see red tsarouchi clogs with black pompoms; each pair is weighing about 3.5 kilos, and each of them has 60 nails in their soles, that helped soldiers overcome the rough terrains. The black pompoms are supposed to keep your feet warm, but some say that they were used to hide some sharp objects in them, to use against enemies. In total, it is a very interesting uniform, full of different symbols, that originate either from religion or the history of the Greek army.

The uniform is highly symbolic and it can change slightly at different times of the year. In addition to the typical Evzone uniform, they could wear the traditional Cretan Evzone dress and Ponti Evzone uniform. The Cretan design doesn’t include a foustanella, but rather dark blue trousers. The soldiers often wear different uniforms to honor different aspects of Greek military history. The skirt/kilt is called a ‘fustanella’ in Greek. There are 400 pleats in it; one for each year of the Turkish occupation. The Evzones have professional steam irons in the barracks and they have to iron them themselves. The uniforms are made by special craftsman in workshops within the barracks and take 80 days to make. Officers wear an older more elaborate form of the uniform and since the Second World War, Evzones from Crete wear blue breeches and caps with white boots.

The Evzones shoes: The ‘Tsarouchia’ are red leather clogs featuring a black pom pom and nails on the soles weighing 1.5kgs each

The main parts of the Evzone uniform are:

the hat made of red baize with a silk tassel
the shirt, white with very wide sleeves
the waistcoat, hand embroidered with great skill. Various designs of great traditional and folklore importance are embroidered on the waistcoat in white or gilt thread
the kilt (foustanella) made from 30 meters of white material with 400 pleats representing the 400 years of the Turkish occupation
the breeches, the long red trousers of the officers and the white woolen stockings of the Evzones
the cartridge belt
the garters, black for the Evzones and blue for the officers.