What Is Clean Monday And How We Celebrate It In Greece

Clean Monday is one of the most important bank holidays in Greece.

This tradition does not have a stable day of celebration but is dependent on Orthodox Easter. Clean Monday is celebrated 50 days before Orthodox Easter, and it marks the beginning of the Great Lent period for Orthodox believers and the end of the Greek Carnival.

There are two different explanations as to why this Monday is called clean

The first one comes from everyday life, as it says that women used to clean so many pots after the end of the carnival, that they did not have time for anything else.
The second one derives from the Orthodox Christian religion. After the consumption of big amounts of meat during the carnival, Clean Monday comes to clean and purify the body and soul and prepare believers for Easter.

Another name for Clean Monday is Koulouma. Koulouma means the massive visit of people to the countryside to celebrate Clean Monday. The word derives from the Latin word “columus”, which means excess and aplenty.

The celebrations of Clean Monday have as a main activity, kite-flying. When the weather allows it, young and old, families and friends go to the countryside and attempt to fly a kite. Usually, you will also find traditional Greek music and different happenings, organised by the public authorities.

In the past, the kites used to be handmade by the father or grandfather of the family. In that way, the art of kite making was passed to the new generations, remaining alive. Nowadays, most of the people buy a kite instead of making it.
Either way, the result is still beautiful and a great bonding activity for families. 
China is the first country that claims the copyrights of the handmade kite. Through the commercial routes, and especially through the commerce of silk, the art of kite-making, traveled to Europe.
For the Christian Orthodox church, the kite symbolizes the human soul, which flies in the sky free and pure to meet the Creator. Through this process, the believers are getting ready for the Ressurection of Jesus Christ and the Orthodox Easter.