For 22 years, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church has offered a taste of Greek food and a glimpse of Greek culture. But the church’s history in Augusta goes back further. The congregation celebrates its 100th anniversary as it kicks off the 22nd annual Greek Festival at 11:00 a.m on Friday.
“The three-day celebration at the church on Telfair Street attracts upwards of 20,000 visitors every year”, stated the Rev. Vasile Bitere, the priest of Holy Trinity. “Many people come to try Greek delicacies, making the festival a popular lunch- or dinner-time stop. However, that’s not all there is to the festival”, he added.
“It is great Greek food, great Greek dancing, great Greek entertainment”, Bitere said. “It’s an opportunity for the entire community to join us in our celebration”.
The festival also includes traditional Greek dancing, tours of the Church and an iconography workshop. Last year, the workshop was so popular, that it has been brought back for a second year.
“This is a historical event”, Bitere noted, adding: “We are celebrating this year with a string of events. The events are dedicated to the church’s fpunders. They put in such hard work to build this community 100 years ago”.
Greeks first arrived in Augusta in 1877, according to a church history. By 1911, a community of 162 Greek immigrants had been formed. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church has been founded later that year. Today, the church has 180 families from various backgrounds.
Penny Ballas, a member of the Church has stated that they say the Lord’s Prayer in 11 different languages, since they have Serbians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Palestinians, Russians, Egyptians, Hispanics, Georgians, and Armenias in the Church.
Church members begin working on the festival months ahead of time.
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