Today it's the clean Monday for Greece!!
Kathará Deftéra (“Clean Monday”) is a major Greek religious and cultural holiday marking the beginning of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church, 48 days before Easter. It follows the festive Carnival period (Apókries) and symbolizes a “clean start” for the soul and body through fasting, forgiveness, and spiritual reflection.
On this day, Greeks traditionally avoid meat, dairy, and eggs, eating instead fasting foods like lagána (a special flatbread), taramás (fish roe dip), olives, seafood, pickles, and halva. Families and friends gather outdoors for a kind of springtime picnic, often in the countryside or by the sea.
A characteristic custom is kite-flying, especially with children, symbolizing the soul’s elevation towards God and the lightness that comes with letting go of burdens. Clean Monday combines deep religious meaning with joyful, communal celebration and is considered the true opening of the Greek spring season.
Today's weather has approved that the Winter season is gone and Spring has Sprang in to Arillas Corfu for 2026!
Today you will spot various people that have come to Arillas from all sides of the island and mainly Corfu Town to celebrate Koulouma” (Κούλουμα), which is the popular name for the outdoor celebrations on Καθαρά Δευτέρα, rather than a separate holiday. While Clean Monday is the religious start of Lent, the Koulouma are the joyful, social part of the day.
They usually include:
- Outings in nature: hills, countryside, parks, seaside – a kind of communal picnic.
- Lenten food: lagána bread, olives, taramas, seafood, beans, pickles, halva, wine/tsipouro.
- Kite flying: especially by children, giving a festive, colourful character to the sky.
- Music and dancing: sometimes with traditional instruments and local songs.
The word’s origin is debated (possibly from Latin “cumulus” – abundance), but in practice “πάμε για κούλουμα” means “let’s go out and celebrate Clean Monday with food, music and kites”. It’s the bridge between the end of Carnival and the more sober period of Lent, keeping a sense of joy and community.
