Greek flour fight marks end of carnivals and beginning of Lent

Locals celebrate in Galaxidi to mark the end of carnivals and the start of Lent. Image by (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Lent began in Greece with a unique Clean Monday flour war marking the end of the carnival season and the beginning of abstention in the lead up to Easter.

A reveller takes a break from the flour wars in Galaxidi, Greece. Image by (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The most unique event was a colorful flour fight in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. The flour fight, on the coastal road lining Galaxidi’s old harbor, takes place on Clean Monday, the beginning of the 40-day Christian Lent fast that ends on Easter Sunday.

Two men at the flour wars in Galaxidi, Greece. Image by (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Although Clean Monday ceremonies abound across Greece, the most common being kite-flying, Galaxidi’s flour-fight is unique, and is thought to have been influenced by similar goings-on in Sicily in the 19th century.