• by XpatAthens
  • Friday, 27 February 2015
Oct 28th is Ochi Day

On October 28th, expect to encounter parades and other celebrations commemorating Ochi Day, the anniversary of General Ioannis Metaxas' flat denial to the Italians' request for free passage to invade Greece. In October, 1940, Italy, backed by Hitler, wanted to occupy Greece; Metaxas simply responded "Ochi!" - "No!" in Greek. It was a "No!" that brought Greece into the war on the Allied side; for a time, Greece was Britain's only ally against Hitler.

Greece not only did not give Mussolini's forces free passage, they seized the offensive and drove them back through most of Albania.

Some historians credit the Greeks' fierce resistance to the later German paratrooper landings during the Battle of Crete with convincing Hitler that such attacks cost too many German lives. The from-the-air invasion of Crete was the last attempt by the Nazis to use this technique, and the extra resources required to subdue Greece drained and distracted the Third Reich from its efforts on other fronts.

Had Metaxas not said "No!", World War II might well have lasted considerably longer. One theory suggests that had Greece agreed to surrender without resistance, Hitler would have been able to invade Russia in spring, rather than making his disastrous attempt to take it in winter. Western nations, always happy to credit ancient Greece with the development of democracy, may owe modern Greece an equal but usually unrecognized debt for helping to preserve democracy against its enemies during World War II.

Was Metaxa really that succinct? Probably not - but that's the way the story has been passed down. He also probably responded in French.

On Ochi Day, all major cities offer a military parade, and many Greek Orthodox churches will be holding special services. Coastal towns may have naval parades or other celebrations on the waterfront.

By deTraci Regula

gogreece.about.com