Difference between revisions of "OXI Day"

Latest revision as of 11:13, November 28, 2008

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-At the start of the [[World Warr II|Second World War]], Mussolini delivered an ultimatum to the then Greek Prime Minister, [[Ioannis Metaxas]], demanding that Greece allow Italian troops to occupy the country, or Italy would declare war and invade. Three hours were given to reply.
+#REDIRECT[[Ochi Day]]
-After reading the demands in the early morning hours of [[October 28|28 October]] [[1940]], Metaxas rejected the ultimatum and replied with a simple Greek word: Oxi! - (no! ''Greek: Όχι!''). This has since become a Greek battle cry that resurfaces defiantly every 28 October on walls throughout [[Greece]] and [[Cyprus]] and indeed amongst the thousands of Greek communities around the world (which number about six million).
-The holiday also marks the date in [[1940]] when Greece entered the Second World War. Today, celebrations of Oxi Day culminate in a large, lavish military parade down the main boulevards of [[Athens]] and [[Thessoloniki]]. Soldiers, tanks, armoured vehicles and students parade through most Greek cities. Politicans tend to grab the opportunity to show their own spirit to the nation and to stress how it should be continued in future generations.