Clean Monday in Greece has its own unique sky. Wherever you find yourself — on a hill, in a field, or by the sea — you will see colorful kites battling the wind and people gazing upward, as if expecting something. Flying a kite is not merely a game, nor just a joyful activity for children. It is a tradition that marks a transition: from the noise and exuberance of Carnival to a quieter, more inward-looking period.
The history of the kite begins far away, in ancient China, more than two thousand years ago. The earliest constructions, made of bamboo and fabric, were used in rituals as well as for practical purposes. People believed that as the kite rose into the sky, it could carry wishes, fears, and prayers, while at the same time driving away evil forces. From there, the custom traveled to other cultures and eventually reached Europe through merchants and sailors.
Although the kite came to the Greek world from the East, the idea of flight was not unfamiliar to the ancient Greeks. Archytas of Tarentum, in the 4th century BC, is said to have experimented with mechanical devices related to flight, while a classical-era Greek vase depicts a girl holding a small “saita” tied to a string — an image that strongly resembles a primitive kite. The human need to send something of our own into the sky appears to be as old as civilization itself.
In Greece, kite flying became associated with the beginning of Lent, symbolizing purification and the hope for a new beginning. As the kite climbs higher, it creates the feeling that we are leaving behind whatever weighs us down. Perhaps, in the end, this is the most essential part of the tradition: for a brief moment, we leave the earth behind, lift our eyes to the sky, and remember how deeply healing it is to look upward, with a heart full of freedom and light!!!
