Clean Monday "Kathara Deftera" | 19 Feb 2018
In Greece, Clean Monday is referred to as “Kathara Deftera”. Some may also use Pure Monday, Ash Monday, Monday of Lent or Green Monday to signify that this is the first day of Great Lent throughout Orthodox Church. The date changes according to the calendar and falls on the 7th Monday before the Orthodox Easter. Clean Monday is a public holiday in Greece and Cyprus and it’s when families and friends come together to celebrate. It’s also worth mentioning that many families and gatherings use this day for outdoor excursions and you can find entire communities enjoying a day of kite-flying, music, local dancing and picnics with delicious fasting food. The food enjoyed on Clean Monday is mainly vegetarian, with the exception of shellfish. A special kind of azyme bread, made only on this day will also be part of many dishes. It’s called "lagana" and the bread is often enjoyed together with taramosalata, prawns, olives, wild greens and beans. Clean Monday is another day where you can celebrate the deep rooted traditional Greek gastronomy with family and friends. In Greece, there is always a good reason to enjoy and share food together outside in the sunshine with family and friends - an integral part of the Greek culture.