Excursions for Clean Monday 2019

Suggestions and ideas!

Clean Monday is approaching and this year it's quite close to the Christmas holidays.

Clean Monday 2019 is on 11th March, marking the official start of the 40-day Lent before Easter.

This year, with Easter 'falling' on 28th April, Clean Monday is relatively far from the Christmas and New Year holidays.

 

What does Clean Monday symbolise?

 

Clean Monday officially marks the beginning of Lent for all Orthodox Christians, and the end of Carnival – which starts on Tsiknopempti (Smoky Thursday). This distinctive day was named as such because Christians would 'cleanse' themselves spiritually and physically. For this reason, it is a day of fasting and a public holiday!

 

Why do we fly kites on Clean Monday?

 

Flying a kite symbolises humanity's attempt to communicate with God. People believed since ancient times that the higher the kite flew, the greater the chances that God would see the messages and fulfil them!

 

Why do we eat lagana?

On Clean Monday, we eat lagana, as it symbolises the help God offered to the Israelites with the unleavened bread that led them in their exodus from Egypt.

All these relate to our tradition and history – things we should know before we move on to excursions for Clean Monday!

 

Clean Monday 2019 Excursions

Wherever you are in our country, there are dozens of beautiful places to visit. For the Clean Monday long weekend, we have chosen destinations within Greece that are close to major urban centres. The choices our country offers are endless, and certainly what we present in this article are simply the personal choices of the contributors!

 

Clean Monday Excursions from Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is a 'hub' surrounded by dozens of beautiful places one can visit.

If you want to spend an unforgettable Clean Monday and witness the carnival parades up close, you can visit Kastoria, Kozani, or Xanthi with its famous carnival. If you want to combine relaxation and fun with the carnival, Edessa offers it all! With the Pozar Baths just half an hour from the city, your relaxation is guaranteed!

The carnival in Edessa may not be among the most widespread, but the Sunday parade will certainly offer you incredible fun and joy!

Kozani has an abundance of cheer during its carnival – so if you want fun until morning, you should quickly arrange your trip to this city in Western Macedonia!

Finally, Xanthi is perhaps one of the most popular cities for carnival. It is an event that is prepared all year round so that everything is perfect and ready for all the people who will visit the border city!

All the above suggestions concern road trips for Clean Monday, based from Thessaloniki.

 

Excursions for Clean Monday from Athens

 

Most Athenians who want a road trip for the carnivals and Clean Monday prefer the city of Patras. Along with Xanthi, Patras organises one of the best carnivals in the country. Thousands of crews with carnival floats parade through the city. Patras also hosts a night parade – on the last Saturday of Apokries (before Clean Monday), a large night parade takes place with thousands of people participating!

Beyond Patras, another popular destination is Nafplio with its famous Venetian carnival!

If you are in Athens, you can easily get there via the new road – whereas if you are in Northern Greece or on an island, you would need to fly to Athens and Eleftherios Venizelos airport and from there either rent a car or take the KTEL bus.

Events and parades are organised in every city in Greece, but the cities mentioned above are the ones that steal the show every year and attract thousands of people!