Encyclopedia
Good Friday is a
holy day celebrated by most
Christians on the Friday before
Easter or
Pascha. It commemorates the
crucifixion of
Jesus at
Calvary. Special
prayer services are often held on this day with readings from the
Gospel accounts of the events leading up to the crucifixion. Mainstream Christian churches view Christ's crucifixion as a voluntary and act, and one by which, along with
resurrection on the third day,
death itself was conquered.
In Palestine, Jesus' birthplace, it is known as "Big Friday." In the
Czech Republic,
Slovakia,
Poland,
Serbia,
Greece,
Bulgaria the day is called
Great Friday.
In
Latin America and
Portugal the day is called the "Holy Friday" and in
Denmark,
Norway,
Sweden,
Finland and
Iceland the day is called "The Long Friday"
Jesus' possible death date
As a matter of historical fact, the date of Christ's death is unknown and cannot be calculated from the information in the Gospels. The Gospels indicate he died on the afternoon of 15 Nisan - or, alternatively, on the day before; but no year is given, except that it was during the reign of
Tiberius Caesar. According to all four Gospels Jesus died on Preparation Day , which would make it a Friday.
Thus, the question is fully relegated to theological speculation, under which it is believed the Crucifixion occurred on a Friday in April or March. One possible date is
. A also took place on this date, which some have argued corresponds to the "darkness" mentioned in Matthew 27:45. John P. Meier's
A Marginal Jew notes 7 April 30, 3 April 33, and 30 March 36, as possible Friday 14 Nisan dates during the rule of
Pilate.
In Western Christianity the earliest possible date for Good Friday is March 20 and the latest possible date is April 23. The latest possible date for Great Friday in Eastern Orthodoxy is May 7. See also Reform of the date of Easter.
In the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches
Instead of the Divine Liturgy, the Orthodox and Eastern Catholics meet up to three times during the day for prayer: in the forenoon, to pray the
Royal Hours appointed for that day; in the afternoon, the
Vespers of Holy Friday; and in the evening, the
Matins of Holy Saturday.
The congregants relive the events of the day through public reading of the Psalms and
Gospels, and singing hymns about Christ's death. Visual imagery and symbolism is also often used: in the morning, a large
cross is moved to the front or center of the
nave , and a two-dimensional painted body of Christ, or
corpus, is placed on it. During the afternoon prayers, it is removed from the cross and taken to the altar in the sanctuary, and an
epitaphion is brought down to a low table in the nave representing the tomb; it is often decorated with an abundance of flowers. The epitaphion itself represents the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud, and is a roughly full-size cloth icon of the body of Christ. During the evening prayers, the shroud is part of a procession outside the church, and is then returned to the tomb.
During this time, the hymns do not forget the coming resurrection. Holding both events in tension, the following troparion is sung during the afternoon prayers while the shroud is being carried to the tomb:
- The noble Joseph, when he had taken down Thy most pure Body from the tree, wrapped it in fine linen, and anointed it with spices, and placed it in a new tomb.
- Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
- The angel came to the myrrh-bearing women at the tomb and said:
- Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption.
Orthodox Christians abstain from all food the entire day , to the extent that their health permits.
In the Roman Catholic Church
style="padding-right: 1.5em;"align=center|Dates for Good Friday, 2000-2020
| Year | Western | Eastern |
|---|
| 2000 | April 21 | April 28 |
|---|
| 2001 | April 13 |
|---|
| 2002 | March 29 | May 3 |
|---|
| 2003 | April 18 | April 25 |
|---|
| 2004 | April 9 |
|---|
| 2005 | March 25 | April 29 |
|---|
| 2006 | April 14 | April 21 |
|---|
| 2007 | April 6 |
|---|
| 2008 | March 21 | April 25 |
|---|
| 2009 | April 10 | April 17 |
|---|
| 2010 | April 2 |
|---|
| 2011 | April 22 |
|---|
| 2012 | April 6 | April 13 |
|---|
| 2013 | March 29 | May 3 |
|---|
| 2014 | April 18 |
|---|
| 2015 | April 3 | April 10 |
|---|
| 2016 | March 25 | April 29 |
|---|
| 2017 | April 14 |
|---|
| 2018 | March 30 | April 6 |
|---|
| 2019 | April 19 | April 26 |
|---|
| 2020 | April 10 | April 17 |
|---|
Roman Catholic Christians treat Good Friday as a fast day, which is defined as only having one full meal or two small ones.
The Catholic Good Friday in the Roman Rite afternoon service involves a series of readings and meditations, as well as the reading of the Passion account from the Gospel of John which is often read dramatically, with the priest, one or more readers, and the congregation all taking part. In the traditional Latin liturgy, the Passion is read by the priest facing the altar, with three deacons chanting in the sanctuary facing the people. Unlike Roman Catholic services on other days, the Good Friday service is not a
Mass, and in fact, celebration of Catholic Mass on Good Friday is forbidden.
Eucharist consecrated the night before may be distributed. The
cross is presented, with the people given an opportunity to venerate it. The services also include a long series of formal intercessions. The solemnity and somberness of the occasion has led to a phenomenon whereby in the course of history the liturgical provisions have a tendency to persist without substantial modification, even over the centuries . In some countries, such as
Malta,
Italy and
Spain, processions with statues representing the Passion of Christ are held.
An example: Malta
The Holy Week commemorations reach their paramount on Good Friday as the Catholic Church celebrates the passion of Jesus. Solemn celebrations take place in all churches together with processions in different villages around
Malta and
Gozo. During the celebration, the narrative of the passion is read in some localities. The Adoration of the Cross follows. Good Friday processions take place in
Birgu,
Bormla,Ghaxaq, Luqa,
Mosta, Naxxar,
Paola,
Qormi,
Rabat,
Senglea,
Valletta, Zebbug and
Zejtun. Processions in Gozo will be in
Nadur,
Victoria, Xaghra and Zebbug.
An example: The Philippines
In the predominantly Catholic
Philippines, the day is commemorated with street processions, the
Way of the Cross, and a
Passion play called the Sinakulo. The Church keep the day solemn by not tolling the church bells and no mass will be celebrated. In some communities , the processions include devotees who self-flagellate and sometimes even have themselves nailed to crosses as expressions of penance. After three o'clock in the afternoon of Good Friday , noise is discouraged,
radio stations and
television stations sign off, businesses automatically close, and the faithful are urged to keep a solemn and prayerful disposition through
Easter Sunday.
Anglican Communion
The 1662
Book of Common Prayer did not specify a particular rite to be observed on Good Friday but local custom came to mandate an assortment of services, including the Seven Last Words from the Cross and a three-hour service consisting of Matins, Ante-communion and Evensong. In recent times revised editions of the Prayer Book and Alternative Service Books have re-introduced pre-Reformation forms of observance of Good Friday corresponding to those in today's Roman Catholic Church, with special nods to the rites that had been observed in the Church of England prior to the Henrican, Edwardian and Elizabethan reforms.
Other Protestant Traditions
Many Protestant communities hold special services on this day as well. In the German
Lutheran tradition from the 16th to the 20th century, this was the most important holiday. It was the prime day on which to receive Holy Communion, and services were often accentuated by special music such as the
St. Matthew Passion by
Johann Sebastian Bach.
Some
Baptist, many Sabbatarian and non-denominational churches do not celebrate Good Friday, instead observing the
Crucifixion on Wednesday to coincide with the Jewish sacrifice of the
Passover Lamb . A Wednesday Crucifixion of Jesus Christ allows for Christ to be in the tomb for three days and three nights as he told the Pharisees he would be , rather than two nights and a day if he died on Friday.
This notion arises from literal translation of the Greek New Testament. The Latin calendar includes partial days as full days, thus the early church determined those three days Jesus Christ was in the tomb included Friday and Sunday.
Customs associated with Good Friday
In many countries with a strong Christian tradition such as
Germany,
Chile,
Brazil, the
United Kingdom,
Canada,
Australia and
New Zealand, the day is observed as a public or federal holiday.
In many English speaking countries, most shops are closed for the day and
advertising from television and radio is withdrawn to some degree.
In
Canada banks and government offices and public sector businesses are closed, along with most private sector businesses .
In the
United States, Good Friday is not a federal holiday, although it is a state holiday in some locations. U.S. governments are also constitutionally prevented from forcing most private businesses to open or close on any particular day, so the stock markets are usually closed on Good Friday along with many other businesses - but the majority of businesses are open on Good Friday. Some public schools close on Good Friday because so many children's families observe the holiday. The postal service operates, and banks regulated by the federal government are not allowed to close. State and local offices are closed in areas where it is a state holiday.
The
Republic of Ireland, a predominantly Catholic country, prohibits all alcohol from being sold on Good Friday. Almost all pubs and many restaurants in Ireland close for the duration of the day. It is similar to Christmas Day in this regard. This tradition has come under criticism of late, with secular businesses claiming a loss in earnings by way of a religious festival. Many people cross the border to
Northern Ireland to shop or visit pubs or restaurants.
In
South Africa, the government regulates the opening of businesses and entertainment outlets on this day . All government offices, schools and certain businesses are closed on Good Friday by law. The buying and selling of alcohol is prohibited.
Eastern Orthodox Christians eat as little as possible on this day while the Roman Catholic Church observes fasting and abstinence for this day as well as
Ash Wednesday.
In many English speaking countries,
Hot cross buns are eaten.
Traditionally, Catholics are to abstain from eating meat every Friday of the year as penance. Nowadays, this is only a requirement during Fridays of Lent; during Fridays of the rest of the year, other methods of penance may be followed, for example an extra prayer. As a modern tradition, many Catholics will eat
fish on Good Friday.
Related holy days
See also
- The Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, a major step in the Northern Ireland peace process, which was signed on Good Friday in 1998
- The term 'Good Friday' has been adopted recently by The Karma Army to denote the day of the week they perform Random Acts of Kindness, but has no connection to the Christian celebration.
- , a test conducted on Good Friday, 1962, at Boston University's Marsh Chapel by Walter Pahnke on a number of divinity students, to determine the usefulness of psilocybin for facilitating mystical experience. According to Pahnke, the experiment determined that "the persons who received psilocybin experienced to a greater extent than did the controls the phenomena described by our typology of mysticism."
External links
