BOSTON – The Greek Parade of Boston and New England has been scheduled for Sunday, April 7, 2024, as was announced at the cutting of the New Year’s Vasilopita event of the Federation of Hellenic American Societies of New England at the Maliotis Cultural Center.

It is noted that initially, the parade date was announced as Sunday, April 21, but following further discussions and consultations among the organizers, it was definitively set for Sunday, April 7. This was officially announced by the president of the Federation of Hellenic American Societies of New England, Vasilis Kafkas, and the official poster with detailed announcements and times was also distributed.

As usual, the parade will start at 1 PM in front of the Boston Public Library and will cross Boylston Street. On Sunday morning, after the Divine Liturgy, the official Doxology will be offered at the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Boston, presided over by Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, commemorating the liberation of the Greek Nation.

The official dinner will take place in the Ithaki Restaurant, adjunct to the Holiday Inn hotel in the city of Peabody, Massachusetts.

Other events related to the parade, such as the annual celebration at the Massachusetts State House, will also take place. The Federation, which is responsible for organizing, coordinating, and conducting the parade through its council and committees, is already working intensively on the preparation of the parade and its associated events.

On Saturday, March 2, at 10 AM at the Maliotis Cultural Center, a wide-ranging meeting, more like a conference, will be held, called by the Federation to discuss matters concerning the Federation and its reconstruction. All associations and societies, both those currently active in the Federation and those that have distanced themselves or become inactive, are invited. All who are interested in the organized life of the Greek Community are also welcome.

The tradition of cutting the New Year’s Vasilopita cake continued this year with the  dinner at the Maliotis center, which was free for everyone. The expenses for the dinner were covered by Dimitris Matthaios, Kostas Travagiakis, Georgios Panagiotopoulos, and Michalis Topouzoglou, while the food was prepared by the Greek restaurant Ithaki. Each table had two bottles of wine and one New Year’s Vasilopita. The blessing and cutting of the Vasilopita cake were conducted by Fr. Nikolaos Peledoukas, the presiding priest of the Holy Trinity community in Lowell. He was representing Metropolitan Methodios of Boston, who is currently recovering from a successful surgery earlier in the month, as reported by The National Herald.

Also present at the Vasilopita cutting event were Fr. Bartholomaios Merkanto, ecclesiarch and deputy director of Student Life at the School of Theology, Fr. Vasilios Bebis, presiding priest of the community of Saints Constantine and Helen in Cambridge, and Consul General of Grece Simeon Tegos, who delivered a congratulatory New Year’s message. Also in attendance were Dr. Nikolaos Sarantopoulos, president and executive director of the Community Credit Union, Alexis Phylaktopoulos, executive president of the Board of Trustees of the Hellenic-American Non-Profit Foundation College Year in Athens (CYA), and others.

The event was begun by the vice-president of the Federation, Georgios Panagiotopoulos, who spoke about the Federation’s work and thanked the attendees. Everyone present received a beautifully designed calendar as a gift, featuring photos from various events organized by the Federation.

It was announced that the Feast of the Three Hierarchs and the celebration of Greek Letters and the Greek Schools of the Metropolis of Boston communities will take place on Sunday, January 28, at 3 PM at the Community Center of the Cathedral of Boston, located next to the Metropolis Offices building at 162 Goddard Ave. in Brookline, MA.