World Bee Day Celebrations in Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Greece, Turkey United States and United Kingdom

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The Honeybee Hill in Paleopyrgos “bloomed” with hope, plants, and children’s smiles. In light of World Bee Day, May 20, the non-profit organization Ambelli, in collaboration with the volunteer group Act4V and the local community of Paleopyrgos, Trikala, organized a special environmental awareness campaign on “The Honeybee Hill”, as the small hill is called in the area that leads to the Byzantine castle and chapel of Saint Achillios. 

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Children, teenagers, and residents of the area were present and participated in the planting of trees and beekeeping plants, sending a resounding message for the protection of bees and biodiversity. For a short time, the slogan ACT4BEE became the voice of everyone – a voice of hope, cooperation, and joint action. The organizers ensured that the participants were informed about the role of bees in the survival of our planet, tasted beekeeping products, and left with a symbolic gift of the icon of “Virgin Mary of the Bees”.

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It is worth noting that bee-friendly gardens were planted by the Ambelli team in York, England, as well as in Constantinople, symbolically connecting these points with the concept of cooperation and spiritual order that the bee represents. Actions that capture the universal character of Beezantium and the power of local communities to create a more sustainable, united, and culturally rooted world. The project aims to teach youth about biodiversity and importance of bees as pollinators which sustain life.

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Supporting activities to honor the Virgin Mary of the Bees, Byzantine culture and traditions and biodiversity were also held in parishes in Canada, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany and the United States. 

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The actions were carried out within the framework of the pioneering Beezantium project, implemented by Ambelli.org, which connects Byzantine Heritage with Nature, Ecological Development, and Social Cohesion. Beezantium highlights the bee not only as an environmental symbol, but also as a spiritual example of social cohesion and responsibility, with roots in Byzantine heritage and Orthodox spirituality. Beezantium is co-financed by The Headley Southeast Europe Cultural Heritage Fund and administered by the Balkan Museum Network.