Day «Ohi» in Greece (Greek. Επέτειος του «'Οχι») – is a public holiday that is celebrated annually in the country on October 28 in memory of the events of 1940. The Greek word «όχι» means «net».
On the night of October 27-28, 1940, the Italian ambassador to Greece appeared at the door of the office of Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas and handed over a telegram to Mussolini, in which Greece was asked to surrender to the mercy of the Italian dictator without any conditions and surrender its national positions. The Greek Prime Minister's answer was categorical: «No!» (in Greek «ohi»). In response to the ultimatum of the Italian embassy, it was stated that this method of appeal was regarded as a declaration of war on Greece by Italy, and at 6 am, with the sanction of the Italian parliament, the armed forces began the occupation of Greek territories.
Thus Greece entered World War II. On October 28, 1940, Italian troops invaded Greek territory from Albania. Greeks from all over the country arrived on the front line, the army occupied the dominant heights and repelled the onslaught, and on November 14 launched a counteroffensive. For five months, the Greek army resisted many times superior enemy forces, once again proving to the world that force, numbers, weapons and equipment do not always win a war, and the spirit of the people is also important. The Greek army was able not only to stop the Italians, but also drove their troops back into the Adriatic Sea.
The Italian dictator was forced to ask for help from the Allies, and on April 6, 1941, Nazi troops invaded the country from already occupied Bulgaria. By April 23, through the joint efforts of the Allies, the Greek army was defeated, and on April 27 the Germans occupied Athens. The surviving Greek units, together with the British, defended the cradle of civilization –, the island of Crete, but as a result of the German airborne operation on May 20, 1941, the island had to be abandoned. Greece was completely occupied, which did not mean complete surrender: the remnants of Greek troops continued to fight the Wehrmacht in North Africa, and from November 1942 a guerrilla movement developed throughout Greece.
In October 1944, German troops were withdrawn from Greece because Soviet troops advancing in the Balkans could block them, and the British entered Greece.
In tribute to the memory of the decisive rebuff to fascist troops, October 28 is a holiday in Greece. On this day, military parades, folk festivals and demonstrations are held. Many government offices and public buildings display state flags.