Greece

“Kathara Deftera,” Greek for Clean Monday, commences the 40-day period of the Great Lent for the Greek Orthodox Church, called “Sarakosti.”

Clean Monday — the beginning of Lent among Orthodox Christians — is the day Greeks fly kites (which are symbolic of the Resurrection).

Lagana, halvas, and taramas, known as “the Koulouma,” are the official foods of the first day of Lent in Greece, known as "Clean Monday."

As we all know, this year's festivities which would have been part of Carnival weekend and Clean Monday have been banned across Greece due to the COVID19 Coronavirus outbreak. However, faithful to centuries' old tradition, millions of Greeks are ready...

Clean Monday, the day that brings the carnival season to a close was full of celebrations all across Greece, turning the country into one giant party. Aside from traditional carnival parades with floats and thousands of dancers in Patras, Xanthi,...

For Greek Orthodox Christians, Clean Monday marks the beginning of the 40-day fast before Easter; tradition dictates that the faithful start abstaining from eating animal products and fly a kite. Clean Monday is a cleansing of the body in preparation...

The preliminary parliamentary committee to investigate the Novartis case will be decided after Clean Monday, Feb. 19, said House Speaker Nikos Voutsis on Sunday. Speaking at ATHENS 98.4 radio, the parliament president said that even though there is a statute...

Greece is a country full of cultural and religious traditions - and one celebration which is a bit of both is Clean Monday or "Kathari Deftera. Let's take a look at some of the ways that Greeks celebrate one...

Clean Monday, also known as Ash Monday, marks the beginning of the 40-day Easter Fast as well as the end of the Carnival. The fast lasts 40 days, just like the number of days that Jesus fasted in the desert. Clean...

Athenians braved the bad weather and headed to the hills today to mark the traditional Clean Monday celebrations that include flying colourful kites, despite the downpour early in the morning. "Every year it’s better because last year we celebrated with ice pellets....

The Carnival season, or "Apokries" in Greek, is slowly coming to an end this weekend, but not without a bang. Greeks across the country are going to celebrate the last days of freedom before the Greek Orthodox 40-day Lent...

By John Sanidopoulos* - Clean Monday -Καθαρή Δευτέρα in Greek- refers to the leaving behind of sinful attitudes and non-fasting foods. The entire first week of Great Lent is often referred to as "Clean Week," and it is customary to go...

The negotiations between the officials of the Greek Finance Ministry and troika are currently underway and are expected to be continued during the weekend and Clean Monday.  The Greek officials are thoroughly examining all the dates related to the...

Clean Monday is today and people across Greece are dusting off their kites and preparing the famous delicacies of the festive day to take with them on their outdoor excursions, also known as koulouma. The first day of the...

The Greeks in Thessaloniki celebrated the end of the carnival season on Monday and the start of Lent for Christian Easter, while a cold front was gripping most parts of the country, restricting travel. Despite bad weather, traditional lagana, other...