Tsolias

Greek Presidential Guard en route to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square

A tsolias (τσολιάς) is a Greek soldier wearing a modern military dress uniform based on a traditional Greek guerrilla outfit from the 19th century's Greek War of Independence. The foustanella is based on the ancient Greek tunic called a chiton and consists fo 400 pleats, representing each year of Turkish occupation. The red fez [1]is of ancient Greek origin and was worn by Byzantine Greeks, it was later adopted by the Ottoman Turks after 1453. The first King of Modern Greece, Otto wore this uniform often in public. Today, many Greek boys dress up as tsoliades on Greek Independence Day.

In Athens today, the Tsolias is a soldier that serves in the Presidential Guard. Another group of Tsolias are the Evzones. Evzones were named after several historical figures of the Greek army who fought in the mountains. They are usually selected from the Greek special forces and are therefore skilled fighters too. They tend to guard the Tomb Of the Unknowns, the Hellenic Parliament, and the Presidential Mansion.

Homer first mentioned the name Evzone and refers to well-grit men, implying elite status. The minimum height of an Evzone is 6 feet.[2]

See also