Clean Monday, or Kathara Deftera in Greek (the catholic equivalent is Ash Wednesday) marks the end of the carnival season (Apokries) and the beginning of the preparation period for Orthodox Easter.  Therefore, Clean Monday is by default a day of fasting, and cleansing of the body and the soul. We could say it is a sort of detox day, right after the meat feast of the carnival celebrations.

Clean Monday is the first day of the Great Lent leading to Easter, and therefore special culinary habits apply.  First of all, Greeks eat a special unleavened bread, baked only on Clean Monday, called ‘lagana’, and it is crisp and delicious. On Clean Monday, all bakeries bake only laganas, while some people like to test their baking skills, preparing their own hand-baked laganas at home.  The Clean Monday menu is essentially a sort of vegetarian menu based on vegetables and seafood.  The table is full of elaborate dishes with oysters, clams, octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and shrimps.  There are also dishes with legumes, pickled vegetables, tarama (a fish eggs paste), and halvah. Halvah is made either from tahini (sesame seed paste), or it is cooked as a type of semolina pudding.  Nowadays there are many variations, i.e. halvah with chocolate.

There are many different customs associated with Clean Monday all over Greece. Perhaps the most well-known and anticipated one is the flying of kites.  The root of the custom is very old and comes most probably from ancient China, where cathartic and protective properties were attributed to kites. The kite is perceived as a symbol for the soul, and the kite flying process resembles its cleansing and elevation to heaven.  Some Greeks like to build their own kite, as a family bonding activity, but usually, people buy it from street sellers.  It is one of the most joyful and impressive customs, since the skies fill with beautiful shapes and various colors, while in some areas there are kite-flying competitions. It is an outdoor activity loved by all, children and adults. 

This year, however, due to the on-going lockdown in force, there will be many restrictions nationwide. People may fly a kite only around their block because they are not allowed to move far from home.  Clean Monday will be very different this year, but even if we cannot fly a kite, we can elevate our souls to the sky and make a wish: May it be the last Clean Monday we celebrate indoors, and may the pandemic soon be reduced to a bad dream for all humanity.