Oxi Day (pronounced Oh-Hee) is a special holiday celebrated in Greece every year on October 28th. For the past 83 years, every major city in Greece has held a parade to commemorate the pivotal moment in history when Greece stood up against a much stronger country during World War II. Oxi means “No” in Greek, and so the holiday honors the courage and bravery of the Greek people who refused to give in to unfair demands.
Before being in Greece, I was completely unaware of this holiday or its history. I was surprised to learn that this holiday is not only celebrated in Greece but also in major cities in the United States, like New York and Chicago, where there are large Greek communities! Some of the study abroad students in my program who are from Chicago were telling me that back in their hometowns, Oxi Day is a major celebration that allows Greek members of their community to proudly celebrate their heritage!
Greeks celebrate Oxi Day to remember the moment in 1940 when the Greek prime minister Ioannis Metaxas (yoh-ah-NEES met-tax-SAS) said “no” to a threat from another country. This “no” meant that Greece would not allow foreign soldiers to take over their land.
