Voice of Greece marks Assumption Day with a special festive program that brings the spirit of one of Greece’s most important religious celebrations to listeners around the world. A live broadcast from the Church of Panagia Evangelistria on Tinos, special features, traditional festivals, and selected music come together in a radio journey through Greek faith, culture, and tradition.
The special program begins at 08:00 and continues until 12:30 Athens time, with a live broadcast from the Church of Panagia Evangelistria, also known as the Megalochari, on Tinos. Listeners will be able to follow the Divine Liturgy, concelebrated by several hierarchs, and the procession of the Holy Icon as part of the celebrations for the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
At 13:00 Athens time (and again at 23:00), “Historical Walks” with Marilena Katsimi presents the first part of the program’s tribute to the traditional Greek panigyri, one of the country’s most enduring and vibrant community traditions. Guest Panagiota Andrianopoulou, archaeologist, ethnologist, and folklorist who heads the Department of Folk Art Collections, Research, and Documentation at the Museum of Modern Greek Culture, traces the historical roots of the panigyri and explores its connection with religion, custom, and community life.
At 14:00 Athens time (and again at 04:00), “Folk Paths ” with Elena Falirea features beloved songs associated with Assumption Day, along with folk and traditional music dedicated to those celebrating their name day.
At 16:00 Athens time (and again at 01:00), “Fair Winds and Following Seas” with Antonis Karagiannakis travels to Assumption Day festivals throughout Greece, from the Peloponnese and Ikaria to Crete, Kasos, Amorgos, Kozani, the villages of Zagori, and Kefalonia,highlighting local customs and traditions.
At 18:00 Athens time (and again at 03:00), Flery Dantonaki and Arleta come together on “Our Town” with Themis Rodamitis in a tribute titled “Sacred Interpretations.” Two singular, intimate voices of Greek music take center stage in a program rich in symbolism, dedicated to motherhood, womanhood, and the power of silence.
At 19:00 Athens time, “Narratives” with Maria Karagiannaki Iona presents a repeat broadcast for the young listeners of Voice of Greece: a reading of the book “The Virgin Mary and the Lost Icon” by Pinelopi and Maria Moraiti, published by Porfyra Editions. Two siblings discover an old View-Master in their grandmother’s chest and embark on an imaginary journey to the Holy Land and to some of the most important pilgrimage sites dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Greece, Cyprus, and Constantinople, in search of a lost family icon.
At 20:00 Athens time, in the latest episode of “Remarkable Personalities” with Stavroula Karali, Sotiris Despotis, professor at the School of Theology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a scholar of the New Testament, explores the sacred and human dimensions of the Virgin Mary, her resolute character as a young woman, and her role as the mother of Christ. He also discusses fasting, the many epithets of the Virgin Mary, and the traditions surrounding her celebration in Greece and among Greek communities abroad.
At 21:00 Athens time, Anna Prokova presents “Songs for Women, by Women,” a special edition of “My Wandering Heart” featuring Greek and international songs about women, written and performed by women artists.
Finally, at midnight Athens time, Hercules Economou marks Assumption Day with a special edition of the English-language program “Greek Music Express.” The program features Giorgos Theofanous’s contemporary oratorio “Panagia – The Mother of Light,” a work conveying a timeless message of love, solidarity, and peaceful coexistence.
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