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Athens News Agency: News in English, 11-08-14Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Ecumenical Patriarch at Soumela monastery in TrabzonÁÍÁ-ÌPA/Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos (Bartholomew), accompanied by Archbishop of America Demetrios, will officiate at this year's Dormition of Virgin religious service at the historic Panaghia Soumela Monastery in Trabzon province, on Turkey's Black Sea coast.The occasion will mark the second consecutive year that the Patriarch will officiate at a service on Aug. 15 at the specific monastery, the second such event since the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. ana-mpa In June 2010, the Turkish government accepted the Patriarchate’s request to hold mass in the monastery, which was converted into a museum and has not operated as a Christian place of worship since 1923. [02] Mass exodus of holidaymakersANA-MPA/August's last holidaymakers' exodus from Greece's urban centers peaked on Friday and Saturday, as travelers took advantage of the three-day weekend ahead of Monday's feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, the third most important religious holiday in the country after Christmas and Easter.Ferries have 100 percent capacity, with the most popular destinations being the islands of Tinos and Paros, where the August 15 feast of Virgin Mary is highly celebrated, while airlines beefed up domestic flights. Police have taken precautionary measures on the national roads to prevent accidents. According to the Weather Bureau, the weather will be hot and sunny over the following days. [03] August's full moon celebrated with museum openingsThe largest full moon of the year on Saturday, August 13, was celebrated with theatrical performances and other cultural events at 78 archaeological sites and museums across the country, which remained open for the public until the early morning hours.The archaeological sites of the Acropolis in Athens and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion were closed due to restoration works, leaving man people in Athens to watch the full moon from the New Acropolis Museum. In recent years the culture ministry has dedicated the occasion to a noted Greek poet. This year's full moon in August was dedicated to Nobel laureate Odysseas Elytis, given that 2011 marks the centennial of his birth. [04] PM on SkiathosANA-MPA/Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Sunday will attend a religious ceremony at the Evangelismos Monastery on central Aegean island of Skiathos, held on the occasion of the Dormition of the Virgin religious commemoration.Papandreou is currently on vacation on the popular holiday isle. ana-mpa The religious holiday, celebrated on Aug. 15, is amongst the most significant in the predominately Eastern Orthodox nation of 11 million. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |