A large crowd consisting of almost 200 residents and government and church dignitaries were on hand for ceremonies marking the 67^th anniversary of the battle of Crete, and the significant Battle of Kopsa fought in the Anopoli area.

The ceremonies for the Kopsa battle were conducted at the Holy Church of the Prophet Ilia in Anopoli, just several hundred meters from site of the actual fighting.

The important event began at 08.30 with a holy liturgy and a commemorative prayer by The Right Reverend Bishop of Knossos Evgenios and other church dignitaries, including the parish priests from Gouves, Gournes and Kokkini Hani.

Representing local and national government were Gouves Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis and several local councilmen; members of Parliament Maria Skrafnaki, Manolis Stratakis and Vasilis Gegeroglou from PASOK; Lefteris Avyenakis and Konstantinos Bantouvas from ND; Iraklion vice prefect Haralambos Koutsoyiannis and many others.

The daylong celebration continued with the placement of wreaths at the memorial monument, adjacent to the church.  Among those honoring the fallen with a wreath, in addition to the government officials, were Aristidis Katsoulis, vice president of Gournes Cultural Association, and Maria Liapaki of the cultural association of Anopolis and many more.

Following the placement of wreaths, Yiorgos Kosmathakis, a student at the Iraklion Music School, played the national anthem.

Mayor Nikolakakis offered an introductory message, and speeches by Yiorgo Klatho and Retired Colonel Theothoro Kallino, who was actually an enlisted captain at the Battle of Kopsa in 1941 and a renowned fighter for the National Resistance, left the audience with an inspired message.

Then, Dimos Karayiannis read excerpts from the work of Kosta Kargaki about the Battle of Crete.

Mistress of ceremonies for the event was Katerina Vitoulathiti, president of the cultural association of Anopolis.

 Cretan music with Dimitri Travayiaki on lyra and Kosta Karantino on lute, and Cretan dancing with the Stelios Kafetzakis team, rounded out the day’s festivities, while refreshments and snacks were served.

Also on exhibit were actual photographs from the Battle of Crete, donated from various archives and in association with the Iraklion Historical Museum.

Ironically, during the ceremonies an explosion and a cloud of dust erupted from the nearby quarry, the actual site of the battle of Kopsa.