The date is also the Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, who is seen as the protector of the Hellenic Armed Forces in Greek Orthodox tradition. It was purposeful to connect the two events, one religious and one patriotic. This is similar to how the present Greek state symbolically links national defence with spiritual protection.
The Greek government formally established Armed Forces Day through official decree in 1978. The goal was to create a unified annual observance to honor living and fallen members of the army, navy, and air force, strengthen public appreciation of military service and highlight the historical continuity of the armed forces in Greek statehood
Before 1978, commemorations existed but were service-specific and scattered across different dates. The 1978 decision consolidated these into one national military observance.
