Greece’s “OXI” Day: a Celebration of Heroism and Resilience

Every October 28^th the Greeks celebrate the famous “OXI” day.  

On this day in 1940 the Italian forces requested to be allowed passage of their troops into Greece.

This was essentially not a request, but an ultimatum that Greece surrenders and accepts Italian control. The Greek Prime Minister at that time, Ioannis Metaxas, responded with a resolute “OXI”, (which means NO in Greek). This act of courage marked the beginning of the war against Italy.

His decision was supported unanimously by all of the Greek people who were determined not to let the Axis forces take over their country because they believed not only in their freedom and democracy but that of all of Europe.

Within the day, the Italians were crossing the Greek border from Albania. The fighting was fierce and despite the fact that the Greek forces were outnumbered ten to one, they not only held their ground but were able to push the Italian troops back into Albania. They held them off for six months or until the time that the Germans decided to take matters into their own hands by invading Greece themselves in April of 1941.

This triumph by a small country with limited resources against a powerful enemy was the topic of the news media around the world. Everyone was talking about the Greek tour de force that shattered the myth of the invincibility of the AXIS forces. This moved Winston Churchill into saying:

“Hence, we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks”.

He also said:

 “If there had not been the virtue and courage of the Greeks, we do not know which the outcome of World War II would have been”.

President Roosevelt said:

“When the entire world had lost all hope, the Greek people dared to question the invincibility of the Nazi monster raising against it the proud spirit of freedom “.

It is unanimously agreed that Greece’s victory over the Italians had significant consequences for the rest of World War II. It forced the Germans to redirect their troops into Greece thus allowing Russia two extra valuable months to prepare for their fight.  Joseph Stalin in turn said:

“We thank the Greek People, whose resistance decided WWII….. You fought unarmed and won, small against big ….. You gave us time to defend ourselves.

Today OXI Day is commemorated all over the world, but especially in Greece. People celebrate this day by participating in parades, attending religious services, and honoring veterans and fallen heroes of the war.

It’s a day to remember and pay tribute to the sacrifices made by the Greek people during the turbulent times of World War II and to uphold the values of freedom, liberty and independence.