23/02/2026
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ฒ, or ๐๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ in Greek marks the end of the carnival season 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. Itโs a sort of detox day, right after the meat feast of the carnival celebrations.
Clean Monday is the first day of the ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ leading to ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ, and therefore special culinary habits apply. First of all, Greeks eat a special unleavened bread, baked only on Clean Monday, called โ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐โ, and it is crispy and delicious. 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 halva. ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ is made either from tahini (sesame seed paste), or it is cooked as a type of semolina pudding.
There are many different customs associated with Clean Monday all over Greece. Perhaps the most well-known and anticipated one is the ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฌ. 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. 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.
In Greece, our wish this day is ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ค๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข!
