The Evzones are an elite ceremonial unit that guards the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They wear a striking uniform based on that of anti-Ottoman insurgents who helped free Greece from Turkey in the 19th century. They parade with highly exaggerated precision movements that, combined with the uniform, seem quite exotic.
We were at the Tomb (which is in front of the Parliament building on Syntagma Square in central Athens) to observe the hourly changing of the guard, which occurs on the hour and takes approximately 10 minutes. During the other 50 minutes, the guards stand motionless while tourists take turns standing beside them (no touching, no saluting) for photos. What follows are a few images from the change ceremony, showing the departing guards from the previous hour.
The slow-motion pace at which the guards move is hard to convey using still photographs. We normally don’t like video, but feel it is necessary in this case. The following video has been edited from the original ten minutes to a little more than two minutes and SPED UP to be 1.5 times faster than real time. This video shows the arrival of the guards for the next hour.
iball round the world 