What Ohi Day Commemorates
Ohi Day, known in Greek as η επέτειος του Όχι ("the anniversary of No") and marked on 28 October, is one of Greece's two national holidays, alongside 25 March. It commemorates the morning of 28 October 1940, when the Italian ambassador Emanuele Grazzi delivered an ultimatum to Greek prime minister Ioannis Metaxas at his home in Kifissia, demanding that Italian troops be allowed to occupy strategic points in Greece. Metaxas refused, and the refusal is remembered as the single word "Όχι" ("No"). Within hours, Italian forces crossed the border from Albania.
Metaxas's actual reply, delivered in French, the diplomatic language of the day, was "Alors, c'est la guerre!" ("So, this means war!"). The refusal was reported in the Greek press with the word "NO" (Όχι), which gave the day its name. The Greek army halted and pushed back the Italian offensive in the mountains of Epirus and southern Albania — one of the first reversals of an Axis offensive in the Second World War. Germany invaded in April 1941, and the occupation that followed lasted until autumn 1944.
Status and Public Observance
Ohi Day is a public holiday: schools and public services are closed, and the day is observed as a national celebration. In the days before, blue and white flags appear on balconies and shop fronts, and on the day itself the country is generally decorated with flags.
Civic and religious observances include:
- Wreath-laying (κατάθεση στεφάνου) at military memorials nationwide.
- A morning doxology sung in churches; in the Church of Greece, 28 October is also the feast of the Holy Protection of the Mother of God (Αγία Σκέπη).
- The national anthem, "Hymn to Liberty," typically performed at the close of events, with audiences standing out of respect.
Parades and School Commemorations
Parades are central to the day. Military and student (school) parades are held with special solemnity, and wounded war veterans have participated, though their numbers dwindle each year due to age. The main military parade takes place in Thessaloniki, a city that has already marked its patron saint Agios Dimitrios and the anniversary of its 1912 liberation on 26 October. Athens and other cities hold school parades.
Schools hold commemorations the day before, with poems, songs, and short plays. On the 28th, pupils parade through towns and villages, with the flag carried by the pupil with the best marks — the σημαιοφόρος, or standard-bearer.
Music and Wartime Culture
Songs of the 1940 war years are broadcast on radio and sung at school. Among the songs associated with the day, especially at school events, are "Children of Greece, Oh Children," "Douche puts on His Uniform," "Sucker Mussolini," and "Women of Epirus"; parade marches include "Pindos," "Renowned Macedonia," and "Little Evzone." The singer Sofia Vembo was the "national voice," performing patriotic and satirical songs that boosted morale at the front, including "Παιδιά της Ελλάδος παιδιά" ("Children of Greece").
Mussolini was a frequent target of satire in musical revues, songs, and front-page caricatures, typically depicted as weaker than Greeks shown wearing tsarouhia, the traditional shoes.
Food and Drink
There is no set traditional dish for Ohi Day, unlike Easter or Christmas. It is a late-October family meal: oven-baked dishes, beans or slow stews, bread and cheese, and a sweet with coffee — simple and long rather than festive. An example autumn dish is gigantes plaki, baked giant beans. Syrup pastries and sweet breads such as baklava, saragli, moustokouloura, and tsoureki are typical with coffee.
Regional and Diaspora Variations
The most notable regional distinction is the division of parades: Thessaloniki hosts the main military parade, while Athens and other cities hold school parades. Flag decoration and wreath-laying at military memorials take place throughout the country.
Greek communities abroad mark the day with Greek-school celebrations, parish doxologies, and children reciting the same poems; along with 25 March, it is one of the two days the Greek calendar is kept abroad.