Clean Monday

Today is known as Clean Monday in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. The clean originally referred to the purification of the soul for Lent. Today it's customary to clean the house thoroughly, and, in Greece, people go on picnics, eat shellfish, and fly kites!

Agenda Today:
1. Clean House
2. Make skordalia or laguna
3. Prayer of Cleansing

1. Spring Cleaning:
Cleaning house is a custom for Clean Monday. In the Ukraine, Russia, and Greece everyone especially cleans the kitchen and the pots with which they have cooked festival foods, because today is the start of the Lenten fast.

In March each year I take the first steps of spring cleaning- those big jobs that get put off through the winter months. Last week I cleaned under and around our bed.

The big job I'd like to tackle this week is to clean behind and around the refrigerator, and wipe the coils.

2. Make Lagana (Greek flat bread) or Skordalia (Greek garlic-potato dip):

I usually make Lagana, a simple Greek flat bread, traditionally made on Clean Monday. Its traditional to tear and not slice your loaf of lagana today to avoid bad luck.

Or I make this spicy Greek potato dip called skordalia, also served at Lent.

3. Prayer of Cleansing:

I Cleanse My Soul- Author Unknown 

I cleanse my soul in the dews of spring,

Light of mind's refreshing dew

Love of heart's renewing dew,

Life being's restoring dew,

Cleanse and recreate my soul this night.

May the souls of all beings be

Peacefully preserved

From fall of night

Till day's dear light.