Skip to content
MykonosToursCyclades · Greece

Public holiday

Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera) kite flying

The first day of Orthodox Lent, when Greek families picnic outdoors on Lenten food and fly kites. On Mykonos the strong March wind makes it a natural spectacle on any open beach.

Annual · follows the calendar
When
Mon 15 Mar 2027
Exact times set locally; all-day listing
Recurrence
Movable — 48 days before Orthodox Easter (15 March in 2027)
Where
Beaches and open hillsides across the island
Island-wide
Tickets
Free to attend
Organiser
Municipality of Mykonos
Last verified
5 Sept 2026
Official source

Clean Monday is a public holiday and the end of the Apokries (carnival) period. Tradition calls for lagana bread, taramosalata, olives and seafood without blood — and for kites, which fill the sky above beaches and hillsides wherever the wind lets them.

There is no single organised programme; families simply head outdoors. The municipality sometimes announces a communal gathering, so check the municipal site closer to the date. The island is otherwise very quiet in March.

Around the same trip

Tours that pair well with this event

WalkingJeep & ATV

More on the calendar

28Oct
Public holidayAnnual · follows the calendar

Ohi Day (28 October) parade in Mykonos Town

Greece's national day commemorating the 1940 refusal of the Italian ultimatum. Schoolchildren and local associations parade through Chora after a morning church service; shops close and the island is quiet.

Wed 28 Oct 2026
Mykonos Town
Free to attend

Checked 5 Sept 2026

06Jan
Religious feastAnnual · follows the calendar

Epiphany blessing of the waters at the Old Port

On 6 January a priest throws a cross into the harbour and local swimmers dive to retrieve it — the Theophany blessing of the waters, held in every Greek port town.

Wed 6 Jan 2027
Mykonos Town
Free to attend

Checked 5 Sept 2026

Full calendar