Clean Monday, celebrated by the Orthodox Church, marks the beginning of the Great Fast, of the Forty Days Lent, the preparatory period before the great feast of Easter “Pascha”, one of the most important holiday in Christianity.
“Clean Monday” customs are date back to ancient times and includes flying kites (which are symbolic of the Resurrection) and consumption of very special delicacies:
- Lagana, a special kind of “azyme” bread (unleavened) symbolizes the manna offered by God, which is baked only on that day
- Halvas (Halvah) a semolina-based ahomemade plain and densely-grained confection made of ground sesame, sugar, water and oil, sweetened with honey or “petimezi” (grape must made syrup)
- Taramas the small salty beads of the red caviar (fish roe)
Read more for “The Greek Delicacies of Clean Monday” in the following “Greekreporter” website link:
Lagana, Halvas and Taramas, The Greek Delicacies of Clean Monday