This is a Christian religious observance of the Eastern Orthodox Church and falls on the 7th Monday before Orthodox Easter. It is also called Clean Monday and is a day of fasting and spiritual purification and reflection, similar to Ash Wednesday of the Western Church. Pure Monday is the day Great Lent begins.
The first week of Great Lent is also called Pure Week. Great Lent lasts for 40 days and ends on Lazarus Saturday, the day before Orthodox Palm Sunday. The next week is Holy Week, and ends on Easter, the day of Christ's resurrection.
The term "red-letter day" originates with the tradition of marking holy days in a church calendar in red. We use the term here to designate days of special significance in each month -- holidays, astronomical happenings, anniversaries of historic events, and days with memorable folklore attached. Information is drawn from the library of The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Every month you'll find a calendar of these "red-letter days" on the front page of Almanac.com.
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