What day is Clean Monday?
Shrove Monday is also known as Orthodox Shrove Monday or Ash Monday. The holiday is known as 'Green Monday' in Cyprus.
On the first day of the seventh week before Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday, Clean Monday ("Kathara Deftera") begins the season of Great Lent ("Sarakosti") in Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Clean Monday Traditions :
Great Lent is equivalent to Lent in Western Christianity, though the lengths of the periods are calculated differently. They both use a 40-day period between the start and end of Lent because Jesus is said to have fasted in the desert for 40 days. However, Western Christendom does not count Sundays because Jesus was resurrected on a Sunday, whereas Eastern Orthodox churches do.
The preceding Sunday night, at a special service in which all present bow down before one another and ask for forgiveness, Great Lent begins liturgically. As a result, the faithful enter the Great Lent with a clear conscience, forgiveness, and renewed Christian love.
The first day of Great Lent is known as "Clean Monday" because Christians are encouraged to begin the holy season with "clean hearts and good intentions." It's also because Lent is seen as a time for Christians to clean up their spiritual houses, come to terms with their lives, and rededicate themselves to a more holy and righteous way of life.
Clean Monday is a strict fasting day. Christians are not permitted to eat from midnight to noon and are not permitted to consume any meat. Christians are also expected to spend extra time praying and reading the Bible during the day.
Clean Monday is sometimes referred to as "Ash Monday" in reference to Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in Western Christianity.
Because Clean Monday is also considered the first day of spring, Greeks prefer to mark the occasion with outdoor activities and picnics rather than fasting and prayer. These activities are commonly referred to as koulouma.
Traditionally, Orthodox Christians abstain from eating meat, eggs, and dairy products during Lent, with fish eaten only on two major feast days: March 25th (Annunciation of the Virgin Mary) and Palm Sunday.
Shellfish and mollusks, on the other hand, are permitted in Greek Orthodox Churches.
Olives, taramosalata, octopus, and shrimp are traditional foods. On Clean Monday, a special type of unleavened bread known as "lagana" is baked. Lagana's history dates back to the Old Testament and refers to God's assistance in guiding the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land.
Kyra Sarakosti, also known as Lady Lent, is created by Greek children. She is made of dough or cardboard cut-outs, as she has no mouth or ears and only seven legs. Every week until Easter, children severed one of her legs.
Aside from picnics, other outdoor activities used to celebrate the day include kite building and flying, dancing, and music.
Did you know that?
Kite flying, according to some, was brought to Greece from the east; kites were flown in ancient China as early as 1,000 BC. Others claim it dates back to the experiments of the Greek mathematician and engineer Archytas around 400 BC.
Aside from kite flying, many regions in Greece observe their own regional traditions on Clean Monday. Every year in Thebes, an old custom dating back to 1830 called the "Vlach Wedding" — in reference to the time's matchmaking — is revived, with all participants joining in the festivities with satirical songs and lots of dancing.
Meanwhile, in another Clean Monday custom that dates back to Ottoman Greece, the village of Mesta on the Greek island of Chios is "invaded" by an Ottoman military officer and his troops, who, after gathering all residents in the central square, force them to pay a fine for the charges brought against them. The 'fine' is then given as a tribute to the village's cultural association.
Καλή Σαρακοστή !