Clean Monday, also known as koulouma, is upon us today, marking the first day of Lent.
A public holiday in Greece and Cyprus, the day is celebrated with outdoor excursions and a consumption of shellfish and other food related to Lent.
Eating meat, eggs and dairy products is forbidden to Orthodox Christians throughout Lent with fish being eaten only on major feast days. Greeks typically celebrate koulouma by eating dolmades, shellfish, halva and taramosalata, a dish created from cured roe from cod, mixed with olive oil, lemon juice and bread crumbs which they spread on lagana, a kind of unleavened flatbread eaten on this day. The history of lagana dates back to the Old Testament and alludes to the help offered by God to the Israeli people while guiding them from Egypt to the promised land.
READ MORE: Why do we fly kites on Clean Monday?
It is customary to take to the great outdoors on Clean Monday, where people have picnics and fly kites.
