What is pure Monday?

What is pure Monday for Orthodox?

Pure Monday, or Kathara Deftera In Greek, is one of the great festivals of the Orthodox liturgical calendar. She marks the beginning of the Grand Lent, this period of several weeks when the faithful must fast and deepen his faith. A way for him to purify his mind and his body. The older faithful also devoutly respect the tradition of fasting, to better honor the memory of the souls of the deceased. It also symbolizes the end of the major festivities of the three weeks of carnival, marked by its culinary excesses and food rich in meats and fats. It is the equivalent of Wednesday ash for Catholics, and more broadly for Western Christianity.

When does Pure Monday take place in 2025?

In 2025, the Orthodox churches celebrate Pure Monday forty-eight days before Easter, Monday, March 3, 2025. A date shared with certain Eastern Catholics by Byzantine Rite.

What are the customs on pure Monday?

At this very beginning of the Grand Lent, the Orthodox, and in particular the Greeks and Cypriots, are used to spending this day with the family. But as its name suggests, pure Monday is mainly used to wash its hearth with large waters. Just as to polish and clean pots and other pots still diffusing the odors of fats or carnival meats. This great household would serve as a proper to purify and get rid of all the impurities of life. Likewise, some faithful living in the islands use this day to repaint, in white and lime, religious buildings and houses.

In addition to the household, the Orthodox, particularly in Greece, make with hand of kite, all in a festive atmosphere. This custom wants children to launch them as high as possible, in the hope of raising their soul to heaven and thus getting closer to God.

What are the culinary traditions of pure Monday?

Although the great Lent is associated with a more intense purification and meditation time, the Orthodox see pure Monday as a great popular festival, especially at the table.

Throughout the Mediterranean perimeter, tradition requires not eating dishes containing meat and cheese, to respect the great Lent. This is how in Greece, the faithful taste crustaceans, octopus, tarama, starchy foods, salads, olives, vine leaves stuffed with rice or peas without olive oil. All accompany with Laganaa yeast -free bread.