The Changing of the Guard at Syntagma

The hourly change

The Presidency's own page is unambiguous: the Evzones guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier around the clock and in any weather, and the pairs change every hour, on the hour. So there is no schedule to plan around — walk past Syntagma at any o'clock and you will see it. It takes about ten minutes, involves four men and no music, and the slow high-stepping march is the same as in the big version.

The Sunday ceremony at 11:00

Every Sunday at 11:00 a large contingent of Evzones, accompanied by a military band, marches from the Presidential Guard camp to the Tomb, and the official changing ceremony takes place there. This is the one with the crowd, the flags and the drums, and it runs about three-quarters of an hour from the first sound of the band. It is not cancelled for weather.

And the one nobody watches

The same unit raises and lowers the flag on the Acropolis on Sundays and official holidays. It is a small detail of men walking up the rock in uniform, it is on the Presidency's list of the guard's duties, and if you have an early Sunday ticket for the Acropolis you may see it.

For the hourly change: the low chain, front left

The Tomb faces the square from the terrace below Parliament, up a broad flight of steps. Stand at the chain on the left as you look up: the relieving pair comes in from that side, so you see the approach march as well as the change. At most hours of the day there will be a dozen people there and you can walk straight to the front.

For the Sunday ceremony: Amalias side, by 10:40

The contingent marches in along Vasilissis Sofias from the camp behind Parliament. For the march itself, stand on the pavement along that avenue. For the ceremony at the Tomb, be at the chain by twenty to eleven — after about ten to, the front two rows are gone and you will be photographing over heads.

The mistake

Standing directly behind the guards for a photograph and then reaching past the chain. There is a soldier on duty in ordinary uniform whose job is to keep the space clear, and he will move you. Photographs are entirely welcome; the Evzones do not react, because not reacting is the whole discipline of the post.

The fustanella and its 400 pleats

The white kilt is made from about thirty metres of cloth and carries 400 pleats, one for each year of Ottoman rule. It is white, like the shirt, for the purity of the independence struggle. The whole uniform is handmade, and the officers' version differs slightly from the privates'.

The tsarouchi

The red leather clog with the black pompom weighs about three kilograms a pair and carries 120 nails in the sole — which is what makes the stamp audible across the square. Tradition has it that the large tassel concealed a blade for close combat.

The rest of it

The red pharion cap carries the national emblem and stands for the blood of the liberation struggles; its black silk tassel is mourning. The fermeli, the hand-embroidered waistcoat, is the hardest piece to make. The blue and white fringes are the flag.

The belt gives the unit its name: euzonos, well-girdled.

The other uniforms

The fustanella is not worn every day. In winter the Evzones wear the navy-blue doulamas of the Macedonian struggle, and in summer the khaki doulamas of the Balkan Wars. If you see guards in plain dark or khaki overcoats rather than kilts, that is the daily uniform and not a lesser event; the fustanella comes out for Sundays and ceremonies.

Who they are

Volunteers from the Hellenic Army's infantry, in a unit that traces itself to 1868 and has guarded the Tomb since 1929. Its name has changed with every change of regime — Palace Guard, Royal Guard, Flag Guard — and since 1974 it has been the Presidential Guard, with a purely ceremonial role.