Fireworks, festivity, and tradition marked the end of Greece’s largest carnival as the country celebrates Clean Monday with unique customs.
With a dazzling display of fireworks and the ceremonial burning of the Carnival King, the 2025 Patras Carnival came to a grand close at the northern port of the city.
Thousands of spectators gathered at the pier of Agios Nikolaos to witness the spectacular finale of Greece’s largest and most historic carnival.
The highlight of the closing ceremony was the symbolic burning of the Carnival King, a tradition representing renewal and hope. As flames consumed the giant effigy, a torrent of fireworks illuminated the night sky, adding to the festive atmosphere.
During his address, the Mayor of Patras, Kostas Peletidis, reflected on another successful year of celebrations, stating, “Once again, we journeyed through this colorful carnival that embraced every corner of our city, bringing together young and old alike. As always, the people of Patras came together with thousands of visitors from across Greece and abroad to celebrate in unity.”
He also acknowledged the collective effort behind the event’s success, thanking municipal workers, carnival organisers, performers, artists, and volunteers, including the Red Cross and local institutions. “Many of them will work through the night to restore the city, and they deserve our respect,” he told AMNA.
Peletidis further emphasised that the Patras Carnival is more than just an event of revelry.
“This carnival has once again proven that it transforms deep emotions and even sharp social critique into joy and optimism.” He also noted the significance of this year’s festivities coinciding with nationwide protests commemorating the train disaster in Tempi, stating that the carnival stood in solidarity with the movement, amplifying its message.
Welcoming Clean Monday
Following carnival celebrations, Greece observes Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera), marking the start of Lent in the Greek Orthodox tradition. Celebrated 48 days before Easter, Clean Monday is a public holiday dedicated to spiritual and physical purification, as well as the conclusion of the carnival season.
Across the country, families gather outdoors to enjoy traditional Lenten foods such as lagana (unleavened bread), taramosalata, halva, olives, and seafood. The day is also synonymous with kite flying, a widespread custom symbolising the soul’s ascent to the divine.
Different regions of Greece celebrate Clean Monday with distinct customs:
- Chios: The villages of Mesta, Olympoi, and Lithi revive the Aga’s Court, a satirical reenactment of trials dating back to the Ottoman era, where a judge humorously fines participants.
- Alexandroupoli: A resident is dressed as a Bey and paraded through the town, offering blessings to the community.
- Poros: Locals engage in ksartisma, a ritual cleansing of cooking utensils from the excesses of the carnival season.
- Corfu: Certain villages host the Dance of the Priests, where clergy lead a procession, followed by village elders.
- Karpathos: Mock trials known as the People’s Court of Immoral Acts humorously judge and punish inappropriate behavior from the carnival season.
- Galaxidi: The famous Flour War takes place, with revelers throwing colored flour at each other in a lively street festival.
- Methoni, Messinia: The Wedding of Koutroulis is reenacted, based on a 14th-century historical marriage.
- Nedousa: Farmers perform an agrarian carnival ritual to invite prosperity for the coming season.
- Vonitsa: The effigy of a straw fisherman, known as Achyrenios-Gligorakis, is paraded through the village and set adrift on a burning boat.
- Thebes: The Vlach Wedding is performed, where a groom marries a fellow villager dressed as a bride in a humorous role reversal.
- Polysito, Xanthi: The Moutzourides (soot-covered men) smudge visitors with ashes as a playful welcome to the village.
