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April Fools' Declared Public Holiday in Greece

parliamentGreeks have the day off as Greece’s SYRIZA-ANEL government declared April 1st a public holiday.
“We believe that crisis-hit Greece saw a lot of dark days these past years, Greeks have suffered a lot,” said Tsipras. “We want to establish a day that it’s ok for everybody to have fun and play pranks on each other, to get away of our real problems” said Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras talking to a group of journalists outside the Maximos Mansion in Athens.
The PM has been dealing with an unprecedented refugee crisis and he’ll have some difficult weeks ahead as he is expecting to restructure Greece’s huge debt with the Troika.
“You know, even me, I think it feels good to not be serious just for a day and to play pranks on each other.”
Marking his first lie of the day and in honor of the April fools tradition the Greek Prime minister said: “We never lie to people throughout the year, it’s ok to do it for a day.”
The April Fools’ holiday announcement confused many Greeks that went to their jobs without knowing the good news. Despina Mitroglou, a post office employee at a suburb of Athens learned the news from a poster at her job.
“In the beginning we thought it was an April fools joke but when we found the doors locked we started believing it.” Then she went home and saw it on the news as well.
“Of course people like it, it’s an extra day off, you know, but I also want the government to stop the tax hikes,” admitted Despoina.
Greek main opposition New Democracy party leader Kiriakos Mitsotakis called the government’s decision “a desperate move to regain its lost popularity by offering people extra vacation.”
Mitsotakis added that “PM Tsipras wants to sugarcoat the measures his party will have to pass in the Greek parliament and now he offers perks to those he will be robbing next week.”
Despite his disagreement with PM Tsipras the opposition leader also made a false statement in honor of the day: “We want to offer people jobs, not an extra day off.”
Calling on Greeks to celebrate the day with appropriate activities, PM Tsipras said: “I want to urge the Greek people to lie today, to lie to themselves most of all, and keep thinking that I am who I am not.”
Most government agencies and many private companies remain closed for the day in Greece.

April Fools Day and the Tradition in Greece

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