The San Jose Greek Festival began in 1969
It wasn’t the summer of love for Greeks in San Jose, it was the summer of cultural and ancestral pride.
If you happen to be at the San Jose Greek Festival right when we open on Friday May 30th, you’ll see a small ceremony taking place. Pictured here in 2024 you’ll see Proistamenos Rev. Fr. James Kumarelas (right) and Assistant Priest Rev. Fr. Nebojsa Pantic (left) preforming an “agiasmos” service or a blessing using basil and holy water bless the Greek Festival so that it may be successful. They’ll splash the water throughout the festival, warding off evil and negativity in hopes of a prosperous event. We can only hope and pray that our community effort will pay off so that we may provide a beautiful festival with delicious food and exiting times for all our visitors. While we are Orthodox Christian, we welcome anyone and everyone, Christian or not, religious or not, to celebrate the culture and hospitality of Greece with us. Learn more about our parish here.
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is joyfully celebrating our 80th anniversary in 2025. With "Reflecting on Our Journey, Rejoicing in Our Future – United in Faith for 80 years" as the theme for our celebration, we look back across the years to 1945 to when the parish was first established. Eight decades later Saint Nicholas has now become the cornerstone for Orthodox Christians in the South Bay Area in addition to becoming a beacon of cultural congruence for Greek and Cypriot Americans, immigrants, and expats. That same community that founded the parish in 1945 and built our church church in 1950, went on to host the inaugural San Jose Greek Festival in 1969. Throughout our history Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church has remained dedicated to serving our parishioners and the community of the greater South Bay and Silicon Valley. The 80th anniversary serves as a testament to our enduring faith and unity of our members, as we look forward to a future filled with continued faith and fellowship.
A Real Greek Happening
The San Jose Greek Festival began in 1969, and just like almost every other Greek festival you’ll come across in the US, Canada, Austrailia, and beyond, you’ll notice that they take place at Greek Orthodox Churches, or hosted by them at nearby locations. The oldest Greek Festival on record in the US took place in Astoria, New York on April 6th 1897, a year after the first modern Olympic games that took place in Athens, Greece.
Greeks are resilient people, our history proves that. From ancient traditions bleeding into the medieval and Byzantium eras, to new traditions created in the modern era, we find ways to evolve yet remain consistent. We honor the ancient and the modern through food and dance, music and spirit all in the name of “philoxenia” or hospitality, literally translated to the befriending of strangers. Greek festivals exist to welcome everyone into our homes and lives. No matter where you live, there probably will be a Greek Festival near you one day.
