Clean Monday
It’s Clean Monday as I write, and the beginning of Lent. There have been carnivals and parties, celebrations and feasts before the fasting begins, and already there are firecrackers and the occasional dynamite going off to ward away the evil spirits.
The weather is calm and a little cloudy, but we’ve not had heavy rain for a few days, and it’s generally warm outside, though the other night saw a drop which necessitated heaters and blankets while watching the television. Most of the shops are closed on Clean Monday as families go for seafood barbeques on the beaches, or in the hills, at their farmsteads and small holdings, or in their village and harbour houses. The schools are closed, so the children have an extra day to play and join in with family events, and there’s a calm, friendly atmosphere all across the village.
From now on, for the next 40 days, it’s all about preparing for Easter, fasting for those who follow the Orthodox calendar, not complete no-food fasting, not yet, but there is a strict diet. Not everyone follows it, and you will still find the regulars at certain bars and tavernas in the evenings. Usually, I have to say, the men, but then the women tend not to use the cafes as much as men, not the older, more traditional women at any rate. It’s still common to see an older lady wait at the kafenion door and shout in, rather than enter when searching for a husband who should have been home hours ago.
Anyway, that’s me rambling on. I have nothing planned for this week apart from my usual, though Neil has taken up aerobics again and has been going out for walks. We’re looking forward to our holiday which is coming up in four weeks’ time. More on that later, no doubt and I hope to have The Witchling published before we go. That’s my next target.
