Greeks fly kites on a hill opposite to the Acropolis hill in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 27, 2017. Greek Orthodox Christians on Monday celebrated the end of the carnival festivities and the start of Lent. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
ATHENS, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Greek Orthodox Christians on Monday celebrated the end of the carnival festivities and the start of Lent.
Clean Monday or Ash Monday (Kathara Deytera in Greek) is a public holiday, marking the 40 days countdown to the Easter holiday. Traditionally it is celebrated with family excursions to the countryside for picnics and flying kites.
According to tradition, over the next six weeks faithful Greeks will not consume meat, eggs and dairy products to "clean their body and soul" for Easter.
Most Greeks nowadays do not fast for the entire period, but enjoy traditional delicacies on this day, while trying to take a break from the gloom of the debt crisis.
Nikos Charis, a father of two, cannot afford an excursion to his village in recent years, but took his family to a park at the Athens district of Galatsi to celebrate Clean Monday.
The family shared traditional dishes based on seafood, as well as bean soup, a special bread called "lagana" which is baked only on this day, and "halva" for dessert, made from tahini (sesame paste).
Many recession-hit consumers like Nadia Koutsikou found prices expensive for the family budget and cut their spending.
"It is always a little bit more expensive than the previous year, but anyway this is a must for today. What can we do? We have bought delicacies just for a small bite. Just a few things," Koutsikou told Xinhua.
