18/03/2024
Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate Clean Monday (Καθαρά Δευτέρα), on the first day of Great Lent and it is a movable feast, falling on the 7th Monday before Easter Sunday.
Clean Monday marks the end of the preceding Carnival celebrations, calling all Orthodox Christians to leave behind the festivities and non-fasting foods, which are largely consumed during the three weeks of Carnival. Liturgically, Clean Monday, and thus Lent itself, begins on the previous Sunday night, at a special service, in which all present will ask for forgiveness from one another and, in this way, the faithful begin the Great Lent with a clean conscience, forgiveness and renewed Christian love.
The feast, which is a public holiday in Greece, is celebrated with outdoor excursions, the consumption of fasting food, as well as the custom of building and flying kites.
www.oramaworld.com