“Although Russian propaganda tries to show that all Ukrainians of Greek origin supported Russia, most of the Greek villages of Azov and Mariupol that remained under Russian occupation say ‘no!’ in possession, but are afraid to express themselves. At Adamoma at the Panair (Fair) in Kiev there were many among the approximately three thousand gathered, compatriots from occupied Greek villages and cities. All of them, of course, were forced to flee to other regions of Ukraine and abroad as war refugees”, says the President of the Federation of Greek Associations, Stefanos Maksma.

In Kyiv last Saturday, the Federation organized and held with great success the Adamoma – Hellenic Fair (Festival). “We left, we left our homes, we didn’t want to live in occupation. But we continue to be united, we keep our traditions. That is why it is so important that we gathered in Kyiv for the Fair that used to be organized in the villages of the Donetsk region”, continues Stefanos Makhsma.

“There was a lot of emotion, a lot of smiles with tears. In Adamoma, people gathered who had not seen each other for more than two years, who had been scattered throughout the country, because of the war”, he recounts, speaking to APE – MPE. “At the Fair we showed that we remain optimistic for victory, that we keep our traditions, customs, speak our Roman language… We remember our current heroes. We placed on a street portraits of our heroes – Greeks, who were killed at the front of the war,” he says.

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“It is known that the form of the festivals of the Greeks of Azov is a continuation of the traditions from Ancient Greece. At the center of the celebration is always a united family. Therefore, it was sad to watch the Greek families who lost people, were deprived of their ancestral homes and their land because of the war,” says Mr. Mahsma.

20 Greek and Ukrainian dance and music groups took part in the Greek event in Kyiv, while the participants tasted the favorite traditional foods of the Greeks of Azov. The well-known Greek businessman, main sponsor of the Hellenic Federation of Ukraine, Pantelis Boubouras, was also present.

“However”, as Stefanos Machsma says, “the aerial warning every now and then reminded the world of the war and the losses and to whom we owe the opportunity to live our lives and celebrate so as not to lose the hope of returning to our homeland so that the blue-yellow and blue-white flags of Ukraine and Greece fly in Mariupol, in the Greek villages!”.