Clean Monday

Clean Monday, originally uploaded by symivisitor.

Photos by Jenine Woodhall from the Olive Tree in Chorio.

Clean Monday (Greek: Καθαρά Δευτέρα), also known as Pure Monday, Ash Monday,Monday of Lent or Green Monday, is the first day of the Eastern Orthodox Christian and Eastern Catholic Great Lent. It is a movable feast that occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before Orthodox Easter Sunday.

Clean Monday is a public holiday in Greece, where it is celebrated with outdoor excursions, picnics and the widespread custom of flying kites.