Ohi Day or Oxi Day ( el, Επέτειος του Όχι, Epéteios tou Óchi, lit=Anniversary of the No; ) is celebrated throughout

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...

and the Greek communities around the world on 28 October each year. ''Ohi Day'' commemorates the rejection by Greek prime minister

Ioannis Metaxas Ioannis Metaxas (; el, Ιωάννης Μεταξάς; 12th April 187129th January 1941) was a Greek military officer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for t ...

of the

ultimatum An ultimatum (; ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series ...

made by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on 28 October 1940 and the subsequent Hellenic counterattack against the invading Italian forces at the mountains of

Pindus The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metres ...

during the

Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdoms of Italy and G ...

and Greek Resistance during the Axis occupation.

Ultimatum

This ultimatum, which was presented to Metaxas by the Italian ambassador to Greece, Emanuele Grazzi, shortly after 03:00 am on 28 October 1940, who had just come from a party in the Italian embassy in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, demanded 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 A laconic phrase or laconism is a concise or terse statement, especially a blunt and elliptical rejoinder. It is named after Laconia, the region of Greece including the city of Sparta, whose ancient inhabitants had a reputation for verbal auster ...

word: ''όχι'' (No!). However, his actual reply was, “''Alors, c’est la guerre!''” (Then it is war!). In response to Metaxas' refusal, Italian troops stationed in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, then an Italian

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

, attacked the Greek border at 05:30 am—the beginning of Greece's participation in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

(see

and the Battle of Greece). On the morning of 28 October, the Greek population took to the streets, irrespective of political affiliation, shouting 'ohi'. From 1942, it was celebrated as Ohi Day, first mostly among the members of the resistance and after the war by all the Greeks.

Anniversary

During the war, 28 October was commemorated yearly in Greece and Cyprus, as well as by Greek communities around the world. After World War II, it became a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

in Greece and Cyprus. The events of 1940 are commemorated every year with military and student parades and on every anniversary, most public buildings and residences are decorated with

national flags A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours a ...

. Schools and all places of work are closed.

In popular culture

* ''Kontserto gia polyvola'' (1967) * ''Ohi'' (1969) * ''The Battle of Crete'' (1970) * ''October 28th, Time 5:30'' (1975) * ''

Lieutenant Natasha ''Ipolochagos Natassa'' (Greek: ''Υπολοχαγός Νατάσσα'', ''Lieutenant Natasha'', also known outside Greece as ''Battlefield Constantinople'') is a 1970 Greek film. It starred Aliki Vougiouklaki as Natassa, Dimitris Papamichael as ...

'' (1970) * ''Oi gennaioi tou Vorra'' (1970) * ''The Mediterranean in Flames'' (1970) * ''Submarine Papanikolis'' (1971) * The title track from

Sabaton A sabaton or solleret is part of a knight's body armor that covers the foot. History Fourteenth and fifteenth century sabatons typically end in a tapered point well past the actual toes of the wearer's foot, following fashionable shoe shapes ...

's ''

Coat of Arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

'' is about Ohi Day * Greek-American Comedian

Yannis Pappas Yannis Pappas is an American comedian from Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York. Early life Pappas was born in Brooklyn, New York to Chris Pappas, an Army officer, and Anna Pappas née Mamalakis, a Greek lawyer originally from Rethymno, Crete. He w ...

& His Mr. Panos
Oxi Day
Routine (2010)

References

{{Greece during World War II History of modern Greece Greek culture Cypriot culture October observances

Ultimatum

Anniversary

In popular culture

See also

References