The Hellenic Cultural Center of the Southwest and its member organizations, under the auspices of Greek Consulate in Houston, proudly invites you to join us to celebrate the memorial of the historical OXI Day, The 28th of October 1940 when the then Prime Minister of Greece Ioannis Metaxas denied to the Axis forces the utilization of Greek soil to deploy their war to Africa.
Hellas, a tiny nation -compared to the enemy-, had the decency to say the heroic NO to Nazis. A decision that changed the route of history.
The Story of "ΟΧΙ" Day
The free world watched as one by one countries across Europe surrendered to Hitler’s Axis forces. At 3:00 a.m. on October 28, 1940, a representative of the Axis forces arrived at the Greek prime minister’s residence and demanded Greece’s surrender. The prime minister replied with one single word – Oxi – No.
A few hours later, the Axis forces descended on Greece, expecting that it would quickly fall, but the Greek resistance forced Hitler to change his plans. News of Greece’s victory flooded the radio airwaves and covered the front pages of newspapers around the globe. A grateful world celebrated – no one expected such a small nation to derail the seemingly unstoppable Axis forces.
(http://www.oxidayfoundation.org/the-story-of-oxi-day/the-story-2/)
This year HCC-SW researched, produced and presents a documentary on the role of “The Hellenic Merchant Marine in WWII”.
Join us at St. Basil's G. Costas Hall for the screening of the documentary on the sacrifices of over 2500 Greek and foreign seamen who perished on Greek-owned ships serving the allies.
The entrance is free for all
Donations are welcomed: You can donate any amount through the page: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oxi-day-celebration-tickets-28581413778