Flying The Flags .....etc

26th October
Feast Day of St Dimitris
Patron Saint of the northern city of Thessaloniki, capital of the district of Macedonia, Greek Macedonia

Name day of Dimitris, Dimitra and Danae
We have quite a few members of the family who celebrate name days on the 26th.  Younger family members.  They no longer continue the old tradition of open house and revelling long into the night.  The tradition was changing anyway but the economic crisis hit these festivities on the head.  Nowaday our kids have a few drinks with close friends.

In days gone by we had half of the island traipsing through the house on K's name day and the party went on till the last guest staggered home or the police arrived.  

We still have a small gathering for family and close friends on K's name day and kill the fatted goat but only because he is a very traditonal person and follows the old greek customs to the letter

Just to make a small diversion
While I was looking at Thesaurus.com to avoid using the word 'tradition' for the umpteenth time I came across the 'word of the day
-       horripilation      -  
 WTF   I learnt a new word today
it means
a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold or fear
Very descriptive

And now on to the flags

28th October
Greek National Day
On this day in 1940  Greek Prime Minister gave a resounding NO to Mussolini's demand that Greece allow the Italian army to occupy the country.  The Italians immediately  invaded over the Albanian border but were driven back by a fierce resistance 

Today there will be parades, speeches, wreath laying all over the country and anywhere in the world where Greeks have settled.  
Heroic films are shown on most tv channels, school children on Friday had a half day to recite poems, sing songs commemorating the heroes and we put up our flag outside the house

Flying the flag at our house

The cenotaph is ready, decked out with  blue and white greek flags

You'll see the flag everywhere there is a patriotic greek

At the table next to us in the cafe

This is the naval flag of greece, a white cross on a blue background

No, No, No

No, no, no, Mussolini, you will not invade and occupy Greece.  

On the 28th October 1940 the Italians issued an ultimatum to Greece, demanding free passage into the country and occupation of strategic areas.

The Greek Prime Minister replied 'Alors, c'est la guerre'.

The next morning Italy invaded over the Greek-Albanian border.  Greek forces fought them back over the mountain border in the harshest of winter conditions, women hauling food and ammunition.  The Italians were chased back into Albania and the battle became the first land defeat for Germany in WW11. Eventually in 1941  Hilter sent in the German occupation army who took over the country until the end of the war.  It was 1945 when the last garrisons of Germans were cleared from Aegean islands and Crete.

My father took part in the clean-up of the islands.  He was in the British Fleet Air Arm,  Captain of a  motor launch (ML1252) working with Greek commandos to ensure German troops had evacutated, island by island.

ML 1252 December 1944

Churchill recognised the bravery and determination of the Greeks saying
'Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks'.

Today we celebrate this victory,  known as 'OHI DAY' (No, Day), with a military parade and fly past in the northern city of Thessaloniki, capital of  Greek Macedonia.  Every household should have the Greek flag flying. Every city, island, village will be having its own parade, wreath laying and official speeches.

Poros school children 

In local costume

28th of October is a national holiday in Greece and Cyprus and there will be parades in cities in the United States and Australia where there are large communities of people with greek heritage

.........

Happy Birthday Paul

Wishing you many more years with good health and happiness