This is the day that commemorates Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Mextaxas's rejection of the ultimatum made by Italian dictator Mussolini in 1940. Italy, backed by Hitler, wanted to occupy Greece but Metaxas simply responded "Ochi!" or "no!" Because of Metaxas refusal, Greece entered WWII on the Allied side against Hitler. Not only did Greece refuse Mussolini's forces free passage, they seized the offensive and drove them back through most of Albania.To help celebrate this public holiday I walked down to Syntagma Square and watched the annual Ochi Day parade. I always enjoy a good parade, but I noticed the Greeks do things just a bit differently. This parade was made of mostly school aged students marching down the street in matching outfits and a few military bands. The first band didn't march the entire route but instead stopped just in front of the Parliament building and played music as the rest of the parade marched. Luckily for me I was close enough to the Parliament building to hear the music! Also, (and I'll include a photo of this) the high school girls were marching in heels, some were even marching in stilettos!
Many of the children marched in traditional Greek dress:
The next few photos are of the band that I had the pleasure of hearing during the parade. I'm not sure what kind of band (military?) they are, but I could tell that they're one of the best!
Good to see you are getting out and having fun even though Rob is gone. I hope you are feeling Ok. I can imagine being a little sad and scared without my husband in a foreign land! Keep close to the Lord and he'll be your comfort! What else have you decided to do?
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