The Pride of "Ohi" Day

The Greek holiday, Ohi Day, is celebrated every year on October 28th in commemoration of General Ioannis Metaxas' strong reply of 'ohi' (no) to Mussolini's request to allow Italian troops passage through Greece at the beginning of World War Two.

Prime Minister Metaxas not only rejected Italy's ultimatum, he chose the road of resistance, and thus saved his reputation as a dictator. Cypriot countrymen also drew inspiration from Greece's refusal to let Italian troops invade in 1940 and renewed their struggle against the Turks.

Today in Greece, celebrations of Ohi Day culminate in a large military parade down the main boulevards of cities and towns. Soldiers, tanks, armoured vehicles parade through our cities, also joined by civilian organisations that served in wartime, such as the Red Cross.

Reproduced by kind permission of Euroland Crete. Copyright 2006

Back to Articles