FROM TODAY'S PRINT EDITIONS:
Today is the first day of the Great Lent in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It’s also known as “Clean Monday,” a reference to the obligation among the faithful to cleanse themselves spiritually through fasting and prayer, repentance and asking forgiveness of their neighbors.
The concept even extends to one’s surroundings, so for the Orthodox, today also marks the start of spring cleaning.
For Christians in the Western tradition, Lent begins on the 9th – “Ash Wednesday.”
(SUN PHOTO: Lloyd Fox, March 2010)