Clean Monday
Greece is a country full of cultural and religious traditions and celebrations, one of them is “Clean Monday“.
Clean Monday brings to an end the Carnival celebrations that take place for around one month throughout the country and marks the beginning of Lent. It took its name from the Christians, because at the beginning of the Lent they were “cleansed” spiritually and physically.
Food is an important part of the Clean Monday celebration as Greeks participate in the traditional Orthodox Lent which forbids the consumption of meat, fish, eggs and dairy products for 40 days. The dish of the day includes shellfish, octopus, “taramosalata”, olives, bean soup and a dessert made from tahini called “halvas”. The traditional feast is accompanied by “lagana“, a type of unleavened bread with an elliptical shape and flattened for easy baking.
A necessary and fun tradition on Clean Monday is the flying of the kite. The kids with their families fly their paper handmade kites with the various colors and designs and enjoy the delicious feast together.
However, apart from the traditional feast and the kite flying, plenty of other customs and traditions are revived in certain areas of Greece. Some of them include the dance event called “Gaitanaki”, the revival of a real wedding of the 14th century and the rural carnival in the southern part of Peloponnese.
Lila Kantzeli is one of the newest executives in Athina Luxury Suites. She has studied in the University of Rethymnon having a degree in Political Sciences and at the Metropolitan University for her Master Degree in Tourism Management. She is in charge for all the operations at Athina Luxury Suites and all the annexes of the hotel, serving now as the Operations Manager of the hotel. Competitive, ambitious and focused on her goals.