The people of Cyprus sing the national anthem of Greece.
Jana, Gana Mana… was officially adopted as the national anthem in India on January 24, 1950. The national anthem is a symbol of unity, identity and pride of any country. It is a song which increases the feeling of patriotism and dedication among the citizens of the country, but there is one country in the world which does not have its own national anthem. That name is Cyprus.
Cyprus is a very small but interesting country. It is situated in the Mediterranean Sea at the junction of Europe, Asia and Africa. Cyprus is also famous for its beauty, beaches and history.
To know why this country does not have its own national anthem, we first have to understand its history. Cyprus is divided into two parts. South Cyprus and Northern Cyprus. Southern Cyprus is controlled by the Greek Cypriot government. It has international recognition and is also a member of the European Union. At the same time, there is a Türkiye-backed administration in Northern Cyprus. This partition happened after Turkish intervention in 1974.
When Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain in 1960, other national symbols such as the flag were included in the new nation's constitution, but there was no mention of a national anthem. This became a matter of debate and much debate took place between the Greeks and Turks of Cyprus. However, both of them did not reach any conclusion regarding the national anthem. During that period, different types of instrumental music were played during foreign state visits.
On November 16, 1966, the Greek members of the government unilaterally decided that the Greek national anthem would also be used in Cyprus. Although Turkey did not recognize it. Türkiye uses its own national anthem for its self-proclaimed nation.
In 2004, as a condition of joining the European Union, a peace plan was proposed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, incorporating various national symbols to make both communities more inclusive. However, no concrete decision was taken regarding the national anthem.
The majority of the population of Southern Cyprus is Greek Cypriots. Due to language, culture, religion and history, they have always been inclined towards Greece. This is the reason why Greece's national anthem Hymn to Liberty has been sung here after independence, but there were many occasions when Cyprus tried to decide on its own national anthem, but the preparation proved inadequate. This is the reason why the national anthem of Greece is sung here even today.
