Illuminated Athens prepares for Christmas, sends message of solidarity

The Municipality of Athens kicked off the Christmas season with its annual lighting ceremony in the Greek capital's main square on Tuesday, sending a message of hope and peaceful coexistence.

Mayor of Athens Yiorgos Kaminis gave the signal for the official illumination of the city center and welcomed the holiday season which will be marked with a series of festivities.

"Athens gets illuminated and sends a message of solidarity. A message of peaceful coexistence and mutual understanding among people", Kaminis said during his message.

Before pulling the switch to light up the Christmas tree, Kaminis pointed out that democracy and freedom will beat terrorists who invest in fear.

"Athens is a lively and safe European capital. We defend the right to joy, to positive thinking and the right to hope", he added.

Festivities started with a music tour by two groups of the Athens Municipality Philharmonic Orchestra which ended up at Syntagma Square to welcome visitors.

Handing over the baton to the Athens jazz Big Band and a children's choir from a local school, the celebrations continued. There were songs dedicated to Paris following the terrorist attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds of others.

Though the official illumination of Athens city center was originally scheduled for Nov. 19, it was postponed due to a protest held by Greece's largest civil service umbrella union ADEDY.

Amid the implementation of new austerity measures and a bleak economic outlook, Christmas spending will be reduced for Greek households, which have endured six years of economic depression, job losses, wage and pension cuts. Enditem