Culture

International Day of Greek Language

On 9th of February, Oakleigh Grammar students had the opportunity to celebrate International Day of Greek Language.

February 9 has officially been declared as International Greek Language Day and is a day for Greeks and non-Greeks to celebrate the important role the Greek language has played in world culture. The aim of this initiative is to highlight the fundamental role played by the Greek language in world culture throughout the centuries and encourage the Greeks of the diaspora and anyone who wishes to get involved and learn about Greek culture, to systematically research and learn about it.

The date of February 9 was selected because it is also the official commemoration day of the Greek national poet Dionysios Solomos, who wrote the Greek national anthem, titled “Hymn to Liberty” (Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν).

Oakleigh Grammar students participated in a variety of activities such as creating posters and PowerPoint presentations to promote Greek language, as well singing, games, puppetry and presentations.  Students in the older year levels discussed in more detail the great value of learning Greek, a language that has been spoken continuously for 40 centuries. They expressed views on how important it is to learn languages, and were impressed with how many English words have Greek roots.

Natasha Spanos

Hellenic Culture