Dear Visitor, we are delighted to share this content about Ohi or Oxi Day 2024 with you. Ohi Day 2024- Date, History, Meaning, and celebrations in the UK, Greece, and USA especially. October twenty-eighth is a crucial day people observe with family, friends, and loved ones. So, let’s start on October 20, 2024.
Ohi Day is the most popular day in the United States for celebrating Japanese Americans. The full name of this special day comes from a Greek term, ”ohi,” which is also pronounced as oh-hee. The literal meaning of Ohi Day is ”celebrating the foreign-born.” Ohi Day’s history goes back to the early 20th century during the Second World War.
When is Ohi Day in 2024?
- Year > 2024
- Date > October twenty-eighth
- Weekday > Friday
Ohi Day Meaning
The “OHI” day has an extraordinary meaning in Greece, as it celebrates the virtues of passion, courage, and self-sacrifice and honors the ancestors who fought for this land with flesh and blood.
History of Ohi Day
During the First World War, American soldiers serving in Crete, Greece, were prohibited from wearing any kind of jewelry on their hands or arms except for what was issued by the United States Government. Many historians believe this rule sparked a sense of patriotism amongst the American service members.
On this day, many soldiers began wearing their medals and pins, proudly displayed on their shirts. This custom eventually grew into a gathering, Ohi Day, which occurred every year on the second Saturday of June.
In 1940, American soldiers returning from World War II were granted the right by the British government to celebrate Ohi Day in America. They were also allowed to wear Ohi badges featuring the symbol of Ohi as well as the flag of Japan.
This new trend, which the soldiers started, eventually grew into a celebration attended by millions throughout the United States. It was just this recognition of an old ethnic, American culture, Ohi Day, that was commemorated with a massive parade down Broadway in New York City, organized by the local Chapter of Knights of Columbus.
Ohi Day Celebrations
Ohi Day, celebrated throughout the United States, was marred by violent attacks from neo-Nazi skinheads as well as bomb threats from a group of Italian Neo-Fascists.
The most dangerous of these threats came from a bomb that was mailed to the Jewish community in Brooklyn, stating that if the Jewish community did not remove their kaddish (a symbol of their faith) for the Jewish Passover, the “bombed house would be torched” on the anniversary of Passover.
Fortunately, the bomb was defused just before it hit. Nonetheless, the episode was frightening for the locals in both Greece and Italy.
Ohi Day Celebrations in the USA
Ohi Day was also commemorated throughout the United States with parades in many major cities and smaller parades. These parades comprised American veterans wearing their Ohi badges and clothing as they traveled to various local celebrations.
Although there were no reported injuries or violence occurring at any of these parades, some locals in Greece and Italy were offended by some of the participants’ clothing, which included patches of dyed black pants decorated with Ohi stars and stripes, as well as T-shirts and other clothing bearing the symbols.
The US government condemned the actions of these individuals and canceled the Ohi Day celebration, replacing it with the much more appropriate date of September 1.
Happy Oxi Day Celebrations in Greece
Ohi Day is also commemorated worldwide on the anniversary of the declaration of independence of Greece by its first and second Greek governments.
On this day, the flag of Greece flies high aloft on Syntagma Island, home to an ancient Greek colony. Many Greek and international associations have also designated this day to honor those who served in the military during World War II.
This particular day may also be commemorated with several cultural displays, including the lighting of candles in the exact locations where these veterans are buried, and several Greek and international speakers will give speeches in memory of those who lost their lives fighting for the Greek nation.
