Today is Ohi Day, a national holiday in Greece. Ohi Day takes its name from the Greek word for No (also written Oxi) marking the day in 1940 when Greece refused an Italian ultimatum, an act that brought Greece into WWII. The holiday is marked by military parades, student parades, and special church services.
The ultimatum demanded that Greece let Italian forces enter and occupy strategic sites, or else face war. Greek PM Ioannis Metaxas refused, and his answer is remembered as Ohi, though he actually replied in French, "Alors, c'est la guerre" (Then, it is war). Italian troops crossed the Greek border later that day and Greek forces counter attacked through the Pindus mountains, pushing the Italians back into Albania. Greece was now in the Second World War.
This morning, Ohi Day, we walked past the nearby Anthropology Museum to Place Eleftherias, a pretty square with large trees, some large modern art pieces, and many places to eat including a couple of good patisseries. We weren't looking for food, of course, we were looking for the start of the Ohi Day parade. Eventually we took a position on a street that feeds into the square, a decision based on growing crowds, security personnel, and the presence of rope lines separating the street from the sidewalk. It proved to be a good choice.
