Clean Monday
Clean Monday · Great Lent begins — Sunday, February 22, 2026 in 2026.
Clean Monday opens Great Lent, the forty-day Fast preceding Holy Week and Pascha. The Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete is read during the first week.
When is Clean Monday in 2026?
In 2026 the feast falls on Sunday, February 22, 2026. It is a moveable feast, counted from the date of Pascha, so it falls on a different date each year.
| Year | Date | Fasting that day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, February 22, 2026 | Fast |
| 2027 | Sunday, March 14, 2027 | Fast |
| 2028 | Sunday, February 27, 2028 | Fast |
| 2029 | Sunday, February 18, 2029 | Fast |
Fasting on Clean Monday
The strictest week of the Fast. Traditionally no meat, dairy, eggs, fish, wine or oil are taken on the weekdays of the first week.
Fasting practice varies between jurisdictions, parishes and households — see the Orthodox fasting rules for the full picture and speak with your priest about your own rule.
See this feast in the calendar
Open the day itself for the saints, feast and fasting rule in full, browse February 2026, or see the whole of 2026.