Newsroom
Cyprus commemorated Greece’s historic “Ohi Day” on Monday with solemn tributes, national pride, and the traditional student parade through central Nicosia.
The day’s events began at the Cathedral of Apostle Barnabas, where Archbishop Georgios led a thanksgiving service attended by President Nikos Christodoulides, House Speaker Annita Demetriou, Education Minister Athina Michaelidou, and Greek Ambassador Konstantinos Kollias. The service was followed by military honors rendered by the National Guard and the armed forces band.
Ambassador Kollias delivered the keynote address, reflecting on the enduring significance of October 28, 1940, the day Greece rejected an ultimatum from fascist Italy, marking the nation’s entry into World War II on the side of the Allies.
The commemorations culminated with a parade along Lord Byron Avenue. Veterans, students from all levels of education, Scouts, and civic organizations marched past the reviewing stand, where President Christodoulides and Ambassador Kollias received the salute. Participants carried Greek and Cypriot flags high, honoring the legacy of courage and defiance symbolized by Greece’s wartime “No.”
The celebrations, steeped in national sentiment, reaffirmed the enduring ties between Cyprus and Greece and the shared remembrance of a defining moment in modern Greek history.
