Fly a kite, join a parade, and revel for Clean Monday which marks 40 days to Greek Easter

Greeks kick off Clean Monday by choosing to abstain from meat, dairy, and eggs – fasting is seen as a way to purify the body and soul, preparing for the celebration of Easter.

Clean Monday, also known as Kathara Deftera in Greek, is the first day of Great Lent, which marks the 40-day fasting period before Easter for the Orthodox Church. This day is a public holiday in Greece, and it is celebrated with great enthusiasm and traditional customs.

In Greece, the Apokria Carnival Parades precede Kathara Deftera allowing everyone to delve into their animalistic nature and “party” before the cleanse.

This year the Patras carnival made a grand comeback on the weekend of February 25-26, after a three-year ban due to COVID-19.

Τhousands of local partygoers and visitors and tourists visited the third largest city in Greece while celebrations concluded on Sunday with the two major Carnival parades and the closing ceremony.

Greeks all over the world honour Clean Monday by kicking off the fasting tradition choosing to abstain from meat, dairy, and eggs. This fasting period is seen as a way to purify the body and soul, preparing for the celebration of Easter.

A variety of vegan and vegetarian foods enters the dining table today such as seafood, vegetables, and legumes.

Clean Monday is also known as Kite-Flying Day because it is a traditional custom for families to gather in open fields or beaches and fly colourful kites. This tradition has its roots in the ancient Greek custom of welcoming the spring and the return of nature.

For the Christian Orthodox church, the kite symbolises the human soul, which flies in the sky free and pure to meet the Creator. Through this process, the believers are getting ready for the Resurrection of Christ.

Another significant custom of Clean Monday is the consumption of a special type of flat bread, the lagana.

This bread is typically baked with sesame seeds and is flattened before baking. It is a symbol of the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate during their exodus from Egypt.

Most importantly, Clean Monday is a day of forgiveness from one another, and they clean their homes and surroundings.

This custom has its roots in the ancient Jewish custom of cleansing their homes before the Passover but has permeated Orthodox Christian faith.

The cleansing of the house and surroundings represents the purification of the body and soul before the Lenten season just like Jesus fasted while in the dessert for 40 days. A period of descent before the arrival of “spring”.