The Feast of Saint Nicholas at Piraeus
Saint Nicholas, patron of seafarers and of the Hellenic Navy, is kept on 6 December; the Navy marks the feast with a doxology at the Hellenic Naval Academy in Piraeus, warships opened to the public, and festive vespers aboard the museum battleship Georgios Averof at the Faliro Maritime Heritage Park.
The Feast of Saint Nicholas at Piraeus is the annual celebration on 6 December of Saint Nicholas of Myra, venerated as the patron of seafarers and of the Hellenic Navy. The official celebration is held at the Hellenic Naval Academy in Piraeus, where a doxology is sung in the presence of the Navy’s leadership and, customarily, the Minister of National Defence. The feast is twinned with the commemoration of the victorious naval battles of the Balkan Wars of 1912–13 — Elli and Limnos.
Around the feast the Navy opens its ships to the public. In recent years, docked warships have received visitors in the days surrounding 6 December, with museum ships open alongside them. At the Faliro Maritime Heritage Park, the floating naval museum battleship Georgios Averof holds its own programme: visiting hours on deck, the ceremonial lowering of the flag at dusk, and a festive vespers sung at the ship’s Chapel of Saint Nicholas. The Navy Band processes along the Flisvos promenade.