Ochi Day

Ochi Day

October 28Ochi Day is a national holiday in Greece related to the word ochi, which means "no." (Ochi can also be spelled oxi; it is pronounced "O-hee," with a gutteral h-sound.) This holiday commemorates the day during World War II when Greeks said ochi to an attempted incursion ordered by Italy's fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini.
On the morning of October 28, in 1940, the Italian ambassador to Greece called on Gen. Ioannis Metaxas, the self-appointed prime minister, to demand that Italian troops be allowed to occupy certain strategic areas in Greece. Metaxas curtly responded, "Ochi." The Italians invaded, but were routed by the Greeks.
Ochi Day is observed in Greece with military and school parades; it is also a public holiday celebrated in Cyprus with parades.
CONTACTS:
Embassy of Greece
2217 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-939-1300; fax: 202-939-1324
www.greekembassy.org
SOURCES:
AnnivHol-2000, p. 179

Celebrated in: Cyprus, Greece