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Kites of every shape fill the sky over the beach on Clean Monday on the south coast of Piraeus, 2023

Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera)

Καθαρά Δευτέρα

Foto: Ellywa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The first day of Orthodox Lent is a public holiday in Greece, spent outdoors — families head out of town to fly kites, and share shellfish, fasting dishes and lagana, a flatbread baked only on this day.

The start of Lent

Kathara Deftera, Clean Monday, is the first day of Great Lent in Eastern Christianity. The name refers to purification before the fast: it is the first day without meat, eggs and dairy, and some people fast from all food until the liturgy on Wednesday. Liturgically, Lent begins on the Sunday night before, at the Vespers of Forgiveness, where the faithful bow to one another and ask forgiveness. The whole first week of Lent is called Clean Week, a time for confession and for cleaning the house.

The day is also traditionally seen as the beginning of spring, and despite the fast its mood is joyful. In Greece and Cyprus it is a public holiday celebrated with outings into the countryside, fasting food and lagana — and with kites. The widespread custom of flying kites is said to symbolise the attempt to reach the divine, and on Clean Monday the skies fill with them.

Quando acontece

Clean Monday is the Monday seven weeks before Orthodox Easter, so its date moves each year, between mid-February and late March. It is a public holiday in Greece and Cyprus.

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Comida e bebida

Lagana

A flat, unleavened bread baked only on Clean Monday.

Shellfish and fasting dishes

Meat, eggs and dairy are traditionally avoided in Lent, so the day’s meals are built on seafood such as shellfish, molluscs and fish roe.

Fontes

Esta entrada foi escrita a partir das fontes seguintes.

  1. Clean MondayWikipedia · consultado em 17 de setembro de 2026
  2. List of dates for EasterWikipedia · consultado em 17 de setembro de 2026

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