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Victoria Mindova

The last weekend before Lent is eagerly awaited by young and old in Greece. Except for the Patras parade and celebrations in other cities, Greeks are preparing Ash Monday. It is an official day off and as tradition dictates families and friends gather together, to eat seafood and have fun together before the forty day fast. Even if they do not respect the religious tradition, all Greeks use the opportunity to share the festive day with those closest to them. 

However, before sitting down for the festive meal of the day, young and old go to the nearest park, mountain or garden to fly their first spring kite. If you are in Athens on the first day of Easter Lent you couldn’t help but notice that the silhouette of the Acropolis is decorated by hundreds of colorful kites. We sought to find answers to the question of where this tradition originated, why kites and why the first day of Lent. 

We found the answer in the children's museum in the capital. "We fly a kite on the first day of Easter Lent in order to send away all bad things and so to prepare for purification," explained the person responsible for the voluntary program of the museum - Spiridoula Kokmotou. She told us that flying kites in the first days of March dates back to antiquity. Then it was combined with Christian traditions as a symbolic separation of the human from his sins and the preparation for the humility of fasting before the resurrection of Christ on Easter. 

Spiridoula explained that local people celebrate the second Sunday before Lent and the tables are full of various kinds of meat dishes. Then start masquerade balls and carnivals, where people have fun and relax. Shrovetide Sunday is the last day you eat meat and meat products. Then comes Ash Monday, during which families gather together and go out to fly their kites. "This way people symbolically cleanse their minds and souls from sinful thoughts and prepare for Easter with new hope." 

The museum, which is dedicated to children, offers 45-minute workshops, during which children can prepare their own kites for the festive day. "Technically, flying the kites is a task of the adults and even though children enjoy it, they cannot actively participate in raising the kite in the air. This is why, the possibility to make their own kite here with us, is met with great enthusiasm," said Spiridoula. The museum has organized a parallel program in two groups in which children are divided by age. The first group is for small children from three to six years old and the second - from seven to twelve years old. Special templates have been created and for the younger ones the template is easier. When the small hands have completed their kites, the children can go out on the street in front of the museum and with the help of museum employees they can make their first attempt to send their invention into the air. 

The Children's Museum itself was founded in 1987 when its founder Sofia Rock Mela returns from her stay in the U.S.. Entrance is free and children can enjoy different programs prepared especially for them. The young ones have the opportunity to learn about different professions, such as engineering, construction, medicine and sales in real terms, because each of the rooms of the museum is devoted to various professions. "In the children's store for example, children may come into the role of both buyers and sellers with real cash registers, refrigerators, fruits and vegetables. In the kitchen we also teach children how to make cookies." 

Spiridoula Kokmotou told us in great detail about the various programs, and GRReporter even looked into some of the halls where children were thoroughly studying with interest the wonders of the real world with the help of toys and entertainment. The attic room is recreated in the old style, in which the young ones can get to know the life of their ancestors, as it was during early last century in Old Athens. The exhibition "How to move" shows children all organs of the body, what they are for and how they relate to the movement and control of the body. 

I cannot not mention the room "factory" in which children over 10 years of age can trace manufacturing processes in a factory from the early adoption of primary goods to the final product. "In Water" is one of the most entertaining exhibitions, in which children play with water balloons and "Hello, Pythagoras!" introduces children between the ages of three and six with geometric forms. 

The museum is managed by an organization created specifically for the needs of the institution. Its costs are covered by self-support, but also by sponsors. Many of the exhibitions of the museum have the possibility to be presented in other cities as well, at the invitation of the town halls or other organizations. The total number of employees in it is 30, who are on both permanent and temporary contracts, and the museum also has a volunteering program. "People of all ages show great interest in the museum. From students to retirees, everybody can take a seminar for volunteers and work with children to help with whatever," said in conclusion Spiridoula and added: "All are welcome!”