What is Green Monday?
Green Monday is the Greek and Cypriot public holiday known in Greek as Kathara Deftera, Clean Monday. It is the first day of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church, the 48-day period of fasting that leads up to Easter. The word clean refers to cleansing oneself of sins and of the foods of the earlier season, and in many households it is also the day for a thorough cleaning of the house and the kitchen. The Greek name is also sometimes translated as Pure Monday or Ash Monday. It is a movable feast.
The day is known as a family outing in the countryside. Greeks and Cypriots fly kites, which has become the symbol of the day, and eat a special Lenten spread without meat, eggs or dairy products, including lagana, a flat unleavened bread that is baked only on this day, as well as taramosalata, olives, beans, halva and seafood such as octopus and shellfish. Parties and folk events take place in towns and villages, especially in Athens and Cyprus. In Cyprus, the day is spent much the same way, with open-air meals and kite flying at the coast and on hillsides.
Why it is observed
Great Lent in the Orthodox Church begins on a Monday, unlike Lent in the Western churches, which begins on Ash Wednesday. The Orthodox fast of 40 days, followed by Lazarus Saturday and Holy Week, makes a period of 48 days from Clean Monday to the eve of Easter. Clean Monday follows Cheesefare Sunday, the last day on which dairy products are eaten before the fast, and the pre-Lenten Carnival season known in Greek as Apokries. The kite-flying custom is often explained as a symbol of lifting the spirit toward heaven, and it has been popular in Greece for generations. Clean Monday has been a public holiday in Greece since 1965.
How the date is set
Green Monday, or Clean Monday, falls on the Monday 48 days before Orthodox Easter Sunday, which is the first day of Great Lent in the Orthodox calendar. Because Orthodox Easter moves between 4 April and 8 May, Clean Monday falls between 15 February and 21 March.
How it is observed
Clean Monday is a public holiday in Greece and in Cyprus. Banks, public offices and schools close, and many shops are closed or have reduced hours, though bakeries and tavernas selling Lenten foods are busy. Families head to parks, hills and beaches, so roads can be crowded around the major cities. Public transport runs a holiday schedule. Because the date follows Orthodox Easter, it is worth checking each year's date. Pay and time off depend on national law and the contract. Seafood restaurants and bakeries are very busy and often need booking.
Cyprus
Greece