Thanks for the nice picture and notice. The Greek term for clean also means pure, so it likely has more to do with food, as most Orthodox Christians leave spring cleaning for Holy Week, when the intense cycle of fasting and liturgical services makes house cleaning one of the few tasks that one physically can fit into the day. Since the fourth century, the West has counted Lent as forty days minus Sundays; the Greek-speaking East as forty days minus Holy Week; and the Syrians and Copts along slightly other lines. For Eastern Orthodox Christians, yesterday was Shrove Sunday (that is, Confession/Forgiveness Sunday).

Today begins seven weeks of so-called dry eating: uncooked bread, fruit and nuts during the day with one cooked meal in the evening, consisting of grains and vegetables. If your co-worker suddenly develops a monotonous desire for Chinese, Indian, and Mexican food; he or she may be Orthodox;) A side note is that dark chocolate made with cocoa butter instead of milk is fast compliant, so he or she also may eat more "fasting chocolate" than normal. Please don't say anything, if you smell us this time of year, as Beano only goes so far;) Remember, we're trying to be cheerful, really.