La Trobe University Greek Society - LUGS

Χριστός Ανέστη και Καλό Πάσχα from the LUGS Committee!

Our lovely committee members have shared a few snaps of some of the ways we celebrate Greek Orthodox Holy Week and Easter: weaving palm crosses for Palm Sunday, baking koulourakia and tsourekia, decorating the Epitaphio on Good Friday, attending church services as we follow the Epitaphios around the block on Good Friday and bringing our lambathades on Holy Saturday to get the Agios Fos when it strikes midnight, magiritsa on Sunday morning, tsougrisma with red eggs and Easter lunch or dinner with family!

We hope you were able to celebrate this festive season surrounded by loved ones! 🤍☦️

GREEK ORTHODOX HOLY WEEK 🇬🇷⛪️

An introduction to the themes and traditions from Lazarus Saturday through to Holy Sunday (Great and Holy Feast of Pascha) in the Greek Orthodox Church.

Καλή Μεγάλη Εβδομάδα ☦️🤍

Today on the 25th of March, we celebrate Greek Independence Day. It is on this day in 1821 that the Greek War of Independence officially commenced against the Ottoman Empire, who had occupied and enslaved Greece for almost 400 years.

We celebrate the courage and strength of the Greek Revolutionary fighters and we pay tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives for Greece and its freedom.

Today, we also celebrate the Annunciation of the Theotokos and to all those who celebrate we wish you a happy name day 🤍

Ζήτω η 25 Μαρτίου! Ζήτω η Ελλάδα! 🇬🇷

the LUGS committee had a great day today representing their respective cultural organisations and societies (NUGAS Victoria, Pontiaki Estia, Pallaconian Brotherhood of Melbourne & Victoria, Cyprus Community of Melbourne & Victoria, Lemnian Community of Victoria) and celebrating 205 years of Greek Independence at the Greek National Day Parade 2026 🇬🇷

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the LUGS stall at the Student Union Fest today to say hi to the committee, sign up for their 2026 LUGS membership and pick up a frape!

To promote ‘Speak Greek in March’ we ran a special promotion — 50% off frapes if you can order in Greek (with a handy little cheat sheet on our blackboard for first time speakers)! 🗣️🇬🇷

If you missed us on campus today and still you’d like to become a LUGS member, you can sign up via the link (in our insta bio) 🔗

We look forward to seeing you all at our upcoming events! 🫶

LUGS STALL @ STUDENT UNION FEST 🇬🇷

⏰ 11am — 2pm
📆 Thursday 19th of March 2026
📍Simpson Lawn, Bundoora Campus

Stop by and say hi to the committee, pick up your 2026 LUGS membership, grab a frappe or play a game of tavli with us!! 🇬🇷

GREEK NATIONAL DAY PARADE 2026 🇬🇷

The La Trobe University Greek Society invites our members to represent the Greek-Australian youth and walk with NUGAS (Number TBA) in the annual Greek National Day Parade 2026.

📆 11am, Sunday the 22nd of March 2026
📍Birdwood Avenue (Parade Number TBA)

All members are welcome to join us. Please register your attendance via the Google form: https://forms.gle/q241Rcdj5roav98h7

In late February the Greek Consul General of Melbourne, Ms Dimitra Georgantzoglou, held a celebration commemorating World Greek Language Day at La Trobe University’s city campus, centred around the discussion of the state and the future of the Greek language in the diaspora.

Amongst the dignitaries, academics, presidents and politicians, Greek language students were invited to speak and to share their experiences and perspectives. Including our very own committee member and Modern Greek Studies at La Trobe graduate Alexander Gerasimidis.

We would like to congratulate the organisers and all in attendance for their diligent efforts to preserve and protect the Greek language within the diaspora. For as long as La Trobe University maintains its Greek Studies program, our university remains the only tertiary institution in Victoria which offers Greek studies, firmly establishing it as a beacon of cultural connection for our community.

We would also like to congratulate Alexander for speaking at this event and representing the youth — the second and third generation Greek-Australians within our community, and demonstrating a personal commitment to upholding our culture and our language in daily life.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

On March 8th we celebrate International Women’s Day — with this year’s official theme being “Give to Gain” 💜

All of the young women involved with LUGS exemplify this as vibrant, hardworking leaders who contribute to the communities surrounding them in so many diverse ways. Every single young woman on our committee takes full advantage of the opportunities afforded to her by the sacrifices made by the women who came before us — our mothers, yiayiades and any and all other maternal figures in our families and lives.

As first, second, and third generation immigrants and members of the Greek-Australian diaspora we acknowledge the sacrifices and hardships they took on: leaving the old country, learning a new language and culture, adapting to a new way of life and raising their families while navigating a new life so that our generation could have the privileges of education, independence, security and the freedom to choose our own paths.

We choose to give back to our community by upholding our culture, our language and our values in Australia and sharing the beauty of Hellenism and the inherently Greek concepts of filotimo and meraki with the communities around us 🇬🇷