Happy Oxi Day!

Pronounced Ochi, this day commemorates the response of the Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas to Benito Mussolini's ultimatum that Greece allow Italian troops to enter Greece and occupy areas of the country.

Metaxas replied with one word: "Oxi" (No!).

Like the famous and later to be spoken "Nuts!", the simple word Oxi demonstrated resolve and the courage to resist against superior forces.

Italy then invaded and to the surprise of all, the Greeks proceeded to demonstrate how a larger and superior army on paper can get its butt kicked by a determined and competent, yet smaller and worse equipped, army.

Indeed, after being invaded not only did the Greeks proceed to stop the Italian attack cold, but they then proceeded to drive the Italians out of the country. The Greeks then kept chasing the fleeing Italians and even took over a quarter of Italian-occupied Albania.

It took the intervention of the German army to finally push back the Greeks and cause them to be occupied.

It is thought by many military historians that the resulting need to use German forces to invade Greece, along with the delays and tie-down of German troops imposed by the Serbs during the Nazi invasion of Yugoslavia caused the postponement of the German invasion of Russia. The delay meant the Germans were to face not only Russian troops but also the great Russian general Winter and give the Russians time to regroup and defend their territory. Thus the Greeks and the Serbs with their valiant resistance changed the course of the Second World War.

Happy Oxi Day.

It's All Greek To Me

We were kindly invited by our friendly Greek neighbors to the Taste of Greece Festival at a Greek Orthodox Church in Plymouth.

There was a fine display of Greek culture, with many performances by various Greek dancing troupes:

There was also a market displaying crafts and jewelry, a tavern with drinks and a cafe with Greek coffee, not to mention the main tent with the food and dancing within.

While the dances were performing, we had dinner.

I had a Greek combo plate - generous portions of roast leg of lamb, dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), and Pastitsio (noodles layered with beef and a bechamel sauce sort of a Greek lasagna) and a Greek salad and a big thick slice of fresh bread. It was all quite delicious.

The kids, being very daring, had the mac and cheese. At least it was homemade style and not from a box. They reported it was excellent.

After the dance groups had finished, they invited everyone onto the dance floor, and a joyful ring of chaos ensued:

Everybody Dance Now:

The kids and I danced around in circles with our neighbors and had a great time.

We then finished with some Touloumbes, Greek Honey Balls:

Mmmm, honey balls.

The festival is very well organized, nicely laid out, and has a lot to offer. So, if you're by 5 Mile and Haggerty Rd in Plymouth this weekend, its well worth the visit. You won't be sorry if you go out of your way to go there its a great place to go for a family friendly event.