THE Greek Ohi Day is set to become an annual celebration and part of local tradition following the success of the first Being Greek Festival at Carss Bush Park on Sunday.
Organisers estimated that 20,000 people came and went during the afternoon, with at least 15,000 in the park at the 4pm peak hour.
Five lambs on the spit disappeared quickly, along with 100 kilos of yeeros meat, 6000 souvlakis and many thousands of loukomathes (those delicious honey puffs).
‘‘It was so unexpected for the festival’s first year,’’ said organiser Billy Billiris.
‘‘We were shocked, but it was a reward for all the hard work — there were many nights when we didn’t sleep.’’
But did they manage to create a new Zorba record — said to stand at 5000 people joining in the famous dance?
Mr Billiris said that it could have been done, given all the people present, but organisation had let them down.
‘‘We only managed to register 2000 people but we’ll be better prepared next year,’’ he said.
Ohi Day, or No Day, celebrates the Greeks saying ‘‘no’’ to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in World War II when he wanted to occupy strategic Greek sites in 1940.
No Syrtaki Record, But Greek for a Day
Some 20,000 people attended the Being Greek Festival, a festival full of kefi, held in Sydney on Oxi Day, Oct. 28. it was organized by the municipality of Kogarah, the Greek community in the region and other immigrant organizations, under the slogan, Be Greek for a Day.
The organizers attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest Greek Zorba Syrtakia dance was not successful although 2,000 people participated, according to AMPE.
“We didn’t manage to break the record of participation in Zorba dance,but it was an undeniably great event,” said the organiser, Billy Biliris adding that, “This event made Greece look good while raising our National Oxi Day.”
For this event, everyone said Nai.
GREEK WORLD MEDIA 