- Observed on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, Good Friday is a crucial part of the Easter ritual, which commemorates the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. This holiday precedes the apex of the Holy Week: the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Saturday night.
- The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is a central event to the Christian faith.crucifix image by Dusan Radivojevic from Fotolia.com
According to the Christian Gospels, Caiaphas, the high priest of the Roman province of Judaea (now Israel), judged Jesus Christ -- who is recognized as the son of God and the highest among prophets in the Christian faith -- finding him guilty of blasphemy. After sentencing Jesus to death, the assembly of the Jewish priests deferred authority to the Roman governor of the province, Pontius Pilate, who eventually gave in to popular pressure and enforced the death sentence.
Jesus' trial is believed to have been held during what is now the Holy Week, concluding with his crucifixion on the Golgotha (Hebrew), also known as Calvary (Latin). According to the Gospel of John, the Crucifixion occurred on a Friday. - Good Friday precedes Easter Sunday.Symbolbild Ostern image by bilderbox from Fotolia.com
Since the date of Easter is calculated differently in the Eastern and Western Christian traditions, Good Friday, which precedes Easter Sunday, is also identified differently by the two major strands of Christianity. Western Christianity follows the Gregorian calendar, while the Eastern Church uses the Julian calendar to calculate the dates of various religious holidays.
Physicist Isaac Newton designated AD 34 as the year of Good Friday, taking into account the differences between the Gregorian and the Julian calendar. However, most Christian scholars believe that, according to Apostle Peter's references in Acts 2:20, Good Friday occurred in AD 33. - The Adoration of the Cross is a ceremony observed by Catholics on Good Friday.baza-06 image by Paco Ayala from Fotolia.com
In the Roman Catholic tradition, Good Friday is a fast day. During this day, the faithful abstain from eating meat and often replace regular meals with one smaller meal.
The Catholic Church does not celebrate Mass between Holy Thursday and the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. A special service, called the Liturgy of the Word, replaces the Mass on Good Friday. The Liturgy consists of the reading of special prayers and the Passion account from the Gospel according to John. It is followed by the Adoration of the Cross---with the congregation venerating the symbol of the crucifixion---and the Holy Communion, which, on Good Friday, omits the usual ritual of "Breaking of the Bread". The church bells are also silent on Good Friday. - Orthodox Christians commemorate Good Friday through special services.crucifix :2 image by Sergey Tokarev from Fotolia.com
Orthodox Christians also commemorate Jesus' sacrifice on Good Friday, by reading specific Psalms and Gospels which recount the events leading up to the crucifixion of the Lord. The faithful participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus by attending the special service and by making sacrifices of their own. In the Eastern tradition, Good Friday is a day of strict fasting, when Christians abstain from all food and drink for the entire day.
Protestant communities also celebrate Good Friday by holding special services on this day. Some countries with a strong Christian tradition have declared Good Friday a public holiday, while others have chosen to close only public sector businesses and government offices.
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