The island of Chios marked OXI Day with one of the most striking flag-raising ceremonies in Greece, hoisting a 150-squar...

The island of Chios marked OXI Day with one of the most striking flag-raising ceremonies in Greece, hoisting a 150-square-metre Greek flag at the southern jetty of the main port at noon on Wednesday. The flag, measuring 10 by 15 metres, was donated to the Municipality of Chios 13 years ago by the Metropolitan of Chios, Psara and Oinousses, Markos. Since then it has been kept at the Merchant Marine Academy, a detail that ties the island's deep maritime identity to its memory of wartime defiance. Students from the Merchant Marine Academy carried out the raising on the southern breakwater, with the municipal philharmonic present on the quay. An army detachment also took part, and cadets paraded along the waterfront before the flag went up. The flag was set to be lowered the following afternoon. OXI Day, observed every October 28, commemorates Greece's rejection of Mussolini's ultimatum in 1940, a refusal that brought the country into World War II and is remembered as one of the defining moments of modern Greek history. This year marks 86 years since that answer was given. Chios, just a few kilometres from the Turkish coast, has its own layered history of occupation and resistance, and ceremonies like this one carry weight that goes beyond the ceremonial. #OXIDay #Chios #Greece