A PUBLIC HOLIDAY THAT CELEBRATES A STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
Cyprus commemorates its national day on April 1st every year. This marks the anniversary of the start of the island’s military struggle for independence against British colonial rule. This public holiday, as a result, commemorates and honours this struggle. Despite this date being celebrated as April Fool’s Day in several other European countries, April 1st is celebrated as National or EOKA Day in Cyprus. The day has a deep meaning for most Cypriots, and celebrations on this day are usually well attended. This great day of national pride typically includes several parades, flag-hoisting ceremonies, cultural performances, and fireworks. Most institutions remain closed, and church and public remembrance services also take place on this day.
THE STORY BEHIND CYPRUS INDEPENDENCE
THE CYPRUS NATIONAL DAY
Cyprus independence was achieved in the summer of 1960. This came about after a bitter four-year military campaign against a largely defunct British Empire. Hostilities led by the military wing known as ‘Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston’, or ‘National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters’, began on April 1st, 1955. EOKA, as they became widely known, were instrumental in the overall struggle that led to Cyprus becoming a presidential republic. October 1st, which is the island’s official Independence Day, is also celebrated as a public holiday.
BRITISH ADMINISTRATION
The British Empire, seeking a base of operations in the eastern Mediterranean, took control of Cyprus in 1878. It did so after brokering an agreement with a much-weakened Ottoman Empire. The British agreed on a rather unique lease agreement for Cyprus in exchange for both military and diplomatic support for the Ottoman Empire, who were in control of the island at the time. This agreement, however, was short-lived after both empires found themselves on opposing sides during World War 1. The island was then subsequently annexed by Great Britain. It later became an official British overseas territory. The idea of self-determination or a possible unification with Greece, which became known as ‘Enosis’, then gathered momentum in the years following the end of the conflict.
ARCHBISHOP MAKARIOS III & GEORGE GRIVAS
On January 15th, 1950, a referendum organised by the Greek Orthodox Church was held across the island. This saw 95.7% of all Cypriots vote for Enosis with Greece. Archbishop Makarios III, the main negotiator and representative of the majority Greek Cypriots, constantly held conferences with both Greece and the British thereafter. Although he constantly presented the results of the referendum to British representatives, his demands for Enosis remained unlikely.
A UNION WITH GREECE
Greece, at the time, also fully embraced the idea, and several attempts were made to force the issue. Greek representatives using diplomatic means saw successive appeals to the United Nations fail. These were all subsequently vetoed, and the concept of unification once again remained unlikely.
THE FORMATION OF EOKA
George Grivas, a Greek Cypriot Nationalist leader from Greece, formed the military wing EOKA in Cyprus in 1954. This came after the latest talks were once again rebuffed and the continued failure of peaceful efforts to achieve Enosis. He then went on to spearhead hostilities that included a brutal but organised military campaign. This was firmly aimed at all supporters of the continued British presence across the island. The tactics used by EOKA included assassination, sabotage, and a form of guerrilla warfare that the British were ill-prepared for.
A MILITARY CAMPAIGN
The coordinated attack, led by George Grivas against several British military and police installations across the island on April 1st, 1955, marked the beginning of a wider military campaign. This would lead to a de facto civil war that would continue for four years. EOKA, during this time, mainly used guerrilla warfare tactics throughout their campaign. This saw them retreat to secret mountain hideouts after each attack. Several acts of sabotage and the assassination of several British officials and Cypriot collaborators also took place.
A CEASEFIRE
A ceasefire, pending talks, was eventually declared in 1959. These talks, however, would secure the framework for the island’s independence instead of Enosis. These talks directly led to the signing of the Zurich-London agreement, which established the Republic of Cyprus as a fully recognised independent state. Archbishop Makarios III was installed as the first president of the new Republic the following year.
THE CYPRUS EMERGENCY
What happened in Cyprus in 1955?
The Cyprus Emergency is the description given to the four years of intense conflict and civil unrest that began on April 1st, 1955. Cyprus, which had been administered by the British since 1878 as an overseas territory, was swept up in renewed Greek nationalism in the years preceding the conflict. Things came to a head after Greek Cypriot demands for the termination of British colonial rule and a unification of the island with Greece were rebuffed.
Key events that shaped Cyprus in 1955
January 1955: Colonel George Grivas and Archbishop Makarios III formalise the creation of EOKA, also known as the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters. They aim to force their agenda by conducting an organised military campaign against the British military and administration on the island. This comes after Britain refuses to relinquish control over the island and all previous negotiations fail.
February 1955: Mass anti-British riots erupt across the island. This was caused by court hearings involving an intercepted ship that was caught smuggling arms to Cyprus.
April 1955: EOKA officially launches its armed campaign with a series of coordinated attacks that begin in the early hours of April 1st. British installations, government buildings, and radio stations are all targeted in a coordinated attack.
August 1955: EOKA’s combined efforts force a conference to debate the future of the island on August 29th. Held in London, the weeklong meetings involved both Greece and Turkey. Talks collapse, however, due to irreconcilable differences between opposing views on the autonomy of the island. Whilst Greece demands self-determination for Cyprus, Turkey rigidly opposes any Greek annexation of the island.
September 1955: Triggered partly by false reports regarding the Cyprus issue, state-sponsored anti-Greek riots are staged throughout Istanbul on September 6th. Both Cypriot communities are deeply affected by the severely damaging relations that begin to spiral between Greece and Turkey. Fearing political isolation under potential Greek rule, Turkish Cypriots firmly rejected Enosis and began to advocate for Taksim, which calls for a partition of the island. This laid the early foundation for the organisational groundwork for what would later become the Turkish Resistance Organisation.
October 1955: As security disintegrates, Britain replaces its civil governor with Field Marshal Sir John Harding, Chief of the British Imperial General Staff, on October 3rd. The new British governor specifically spearheads a harsh anti-terrorist and intelligence-led crackdown across the island.
November 1955: Several ambushes in the Troodos Mountains and a series of urban assassinations mark EOKA’s response to the British crackdown. This forces Governor Harding to officially declare a State of Emergency on November 26th. Relations between British authorities and Greek Cypriots intensify, as British authorities are granted sweeping powers, including curfews, censorship, and detention without trial.
Key events that shaped Cyprus in 1956
March 1956: An EOKA time bomb destroys a British aircraft at Nicosia Airport on March 3rd. This prompts British authorities to arrest and deport the political leader of the Enosis movement, Archbishop Makarios III, to the Seychelles on March 9th. This triggers a series of widespread violent riots, strikes, and a major EOKA bombing campaign across the island.
April 1956: An EOKA time bomb destroys a British RAF Douglas Dakota plane on April 27th. This prompts the introduction of new, strict emergency laws.
May 1956: The first EOKA fighters are executed under the new strict emergency laws. British authorities hang EOKA fighters Michael Karaolis and Andreas Demetriou on May 10th. The executions spark intense outrage, which leads to widespread general strikes, memorial protests, and the immediate retaliatory executions of British hostages held by EOKA. Guerrilla hit-and-run operations and assassinations spike in urban centres across the island, and British military patrols, police officers, and some civilians are now targeted as EOKA operations escalate.
June 1956: Britain heavily reinforces its presence on the island to help counter the growing insurgency, and its military footprint increases to up to 17,000 servicemen. British troops launch a massive cordon-and-search operation across 400 square miles of the Troodos Mountains in an attempt to flush out EOKA leader General George Grivas, who narrowly evades capture after a massive forest fire. Believed to have been started by EOKA, the fire traps British troops, killing 19 British soldiers in a single day. This becomes one of the heaviest single-day losses of the British campaign.
November 1956: As British focus shifts toward Egypt, due to the Suez Crisis, British jurist Lord Cyril Radcliffe is appointed to draft a new liberal constitution for Cyprus. This temporarily relieves military pressure on EOKA, who capitalise on this distraction by launching a massive surge of attacks. Dubbed by the British as ‘Black November’, EOKA execute over 400 separate military actions, killing a total of 39 people. The scale of attacks during Black November, however, becomes one of the bloodiest months of the entire emergency. British authorities arm a paramilitary police force largely comprised of Turkish Cypriots to fill its troop shortfall. This Heightens ethnic tension between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, directly leading to the eventual formation of the Turkish Resistance Organisation that advocates for Taksim, which is the partition of Cyprus.
December 1956: The Radcliffe Plan is officially presented as a parliamentary White Paper, but is promptly rejected by Greek Cypriot leadership on December 19th. Although this plan offers limited self-governance while retaining British control over defence and foreign affairs, Greek Cypriots and the Greek government swiftly reject it because it fails to provide a concrete date for absolute self-determination or a union with Greece. In contrast, the Turkish government and Turkish Cypriots initially found the plan negotiable, largely because the accompanying British statements explicitly introduced the eventual possibility of partitioning the island.
Key events that shaped Cyprus in 1957
January 1957: Prominent EOKA leader Markos Drakos is killed during a clash with British forces in the Solea Valley on January 18th.
March 1957: Prominent EOKA leader Grigoris Afxentiou is killed during a clash with British forces in the Machairas region of the Troodos Mountains on March 3rd. Although Archbishop Makarios III, the political leader of the Enosis campaign, is released from his year-long exile in the Seychelles, the British colonial administration bans him from returning to Cyprus, forcing him to operate from Athens.
April 1957: British forces successfully arrest and detain several members of EOKA, leaving the majority of its leaders dead or captured. EOKA leader Georgios Grivas orders a temporary ceasefire and uses this pause to re-organise and re-arm. This also creates a chance for renewed diplomacy, but negotiations once again fail, and hostilities soon resume.
October 1957: Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaces Sir John Harding as the Governor of Cyprus. The new appointment on October 22nd brings a more diplomatically inclined approach to managing the escalating crisis.
November 1957: A huge attack on RAF Akrotiri destroys several British aircraft.
December 1957: The Turkish Cypriot leadership officially declares its goal of Taksim, which calls for the partition of the island, as a counterpoint to Greek Enosis during United Nations debates on the Cyprus issue. This heightens tensions between the two communities, leading up to large-scale inter-communal violence that erupts in Nicosia on December 10th. Turkish Cypriot youths attack the city’s Greek quarter, following a false rumour of the killing of a Turkish policeman. This action marks a definitive shift from anti-British resistance to direct Greek-Turkish clashes. Turkish Cypriots resign from local councils and begin to demand separate municipalities, laying the groundwork for parallel governance structures, which are backed by Turkey. Island-wide anti-British demonstrations in parallel followed on December 13th. This saw Greek Cypriot students throwing stones at British security forces from school rooftops in Nicosia over four days.
Key events that shaped Cyprus in 1958
January 1958: Turkish Cypriots organised major anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia to protest a newly proposed British plan that rejected partition of the island. The riots that followed on January 28th resulted in two deaths and over 100 injuries.
June 1958: A bomb explodes outside the Turkish Government Press Office in Nicosia on June 7th, sparking riots by Turkish Cypriots that spread exponentially across the island. British authorities impose a strict 24-hour curfew to contain escalating bloodshed on June 9th. Minorities from both communities begin to flee mixed villages for safety.
July 1958: British Prime Minister Sir Harold Macmillan introduces a new partnership plan for Cyprus, which proposes a system of shared governance between Britain, Greece, and Turkey. The plan is rejected by Greek Cypriots, who once again view it as another step toward partition.
August 1958: Despite appeals for peace, a record 27 people are killed in a single week by August 2nd, prompting the British military to launch sweeping anti-EOKA operations involving roughly 4,000 troops. British forces launch major operations, including Operation Matchbox, to mass-arrest insurgents amid the worsening ethnic violence. Turkish Cypriot communities across the United Kingdom hold high-profile protest marches in London’s Trafalgar Square, carrying banners demanding Taksim. They present their demands for the partition of the island directly to 10 Downing Street. British Prime Minister Sir Harold Macmillan makes a dramatic peace bid, personally flying to Athens and Ankara to negotiate with both Greek and Turkish leadership to prevent a full-scale civil war.
November 1958: Security deteriorates to the point where British civilians on the island are issued firearms. International debates at the United Nations intensify regarding the legal and sovereign future of the island.
December 1958: Recognising that colonial rule is no longer sustainable, and that partition or a total union with Greece would trigger a regional war, secret diplomatic talks begin, paving the way for the Zurich and London Agreements.
Key events that shaped Cyprus in 1959
February 1959: The prime ministers of Greece and Turkey meet in Switzerland to negotiate a compromise that excludes both a union of Cyprus with Greece and a partition of the island. The Zürich Agreement establishing the framework for an independent Cypriot state is signed by both Greece and Turkey on February 11th. The London Agreement, signed by Great Britain, Greece, and Turkey, on February 19th, formally concludes the agreement, which is then ratified by Archbishop Makarios III, representing Greek Cypriots, and Dr Fazıl Küçük, representing Turkish Cypriots. Under these treaties, Britain agrees to transfer sovereignty of the island to the formation of a new Republic of Cyprus, but retains control over two Sovereign Base Areas in Akrotiri in the south and Dhekelia in the east.
March 1959: Archbishop Makarios III returns to Cyprus on March 1st, following the signing of the peace accords. Triumphant after nearly three years in exile, he begins preparing for the transition to self-determination. The four-year Cyprus Emergency officially comes to an end on March 19th after EOKA agrees to a permanent ceasefire. In a bid to avoid British prosecution, General George Grivas covertly flies to Athens on March 17th.
CYPRUS NATIONAL DAY OR EOKA DAY
APRIL 1ST FACTS
Historical Significance: This public holiday commemorates the start of the Cypriot national liberation struggle against British colonial rule, which began on April 1st, 1955.
The Movement: Led by Georgios Grivas, this day marks the first strike made by EOKA. Several coordinated attacks on the evening of April 1st, 1955, launched a greater armed military campaign against all British forces and installations in Cyprus.
The Goal: Although this military campaign ultimately paved the way for the island’s independence in 1960, the original aim of the struggle was Enosis. This advocated for a union with Greece, which was deeply resented by the Turkish Cypriot minority on the island at the time.
Distinction from Independence Day: While April 1st marks the beginning of the struggle, Cyprus celebrates its actual achievement of sovereignty on October 1st. This is celebrated as the island’s Independence Day each year.
HOW IS IT OBSERVED?
Closures: Most government offices, banks, schools, and large shops are closed during this public holiday.
Ceremonies: Official memorial services are held in churches and at monuments to honour the fallen fighters.
School Events: In the days leading up to the holiday, schools hold special events to educate students on the sacrifices made during the 1955–1959 struggle for independence.
Traditions: It is common to see Greek and Cypriot flags flown at several ceremonies that culminate in marches across the island. The Museum of the Struggle for Independence, in Nicosia, usually holds a special exhibition at this time.
