Today, October 28th, Greece is celebrating the ”OCHI” DAY (literally means NO DAY), a day when the Greek government said NO to Italy’s request to station Italian troops in Greece during World War II. Near the parliament, there will be a school parade, where all students will be wearing white and blue clothing.AthenStyle Hostel, the best hostel in Athens, has an amazing tip for you: today, all archeological sites and museums will be open with FREE ADMISSION! This year is the best chance to visit the great city of Athens and attend a Greek tradition as well as enjoy all museums and sites free of charge! Happy OCHI Day Greece!!
The story begins in 1935, when King George II was restored to the Greek throne by a rigged plebiscite, where he made the right-wing General Ioannis Metaxas prime minister. Nine months later, Metaxas assumed dictatorial powers with the king’s consent under the pretext of preventing a communist-inspired republican coup.
The October 28 national holiday also marks the date in 1940 when Greece entered WWII: The Ochi day ultimatum, which was presented to Metaxas by the Italian ambassador in Greece, Emanuele Grazzi, on October 28, 1940, at dawn (04:00 am), after a party in the German embassy in Athens, demanded that Greece allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory and occupy certain unspecified “strategic locations” or otherwise face war. It was allegedly answered with a single laconic word: όχι or no. In response to Metaxas’s refusal, Italian troops stationed in Albania, then an Italian protectorate, attacked the Greek border at 05:30 am. Metaxas’s reply marked the beginning of Greece’s participation in World War II. Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas chose the road of resistance, and thus saved his reputation as a dictator.
In the morning of October 28, the Greek population took to the streets, irrespective of political affiliation, shouting ‘ochi’. From 1942, it was celebrated as Ochi Day. During the war, October 28 was commemorated yearly by Greek communities around the world and in Greece and Cyprus, and after World War II it became a public holiday in Greece and Cyprus. The events of 1940 are commemorated every year with a military parade in Thessaloniki and student parades. On every anniversary, most public buildings and residences are decorated with Greek flags.