Good Friday is the day that Christians around the world celebrate the death of Jesus Christ. The words good and celebrate don’t seem like the right words to explain this holy day but they are.
Why is Good Friday Called Good?
Good Friday is celebrated the Friday before Easter Sunday. As with Easter Sunday, Good Friday does not fall on the same date each year. This is because Good Friday is a moveable feast and it is based on a lunar calendar similar to the Hebrew Calendar. Most other American holidays, like the Fourth of July, are based on the regular calendar known as the Gregorian Calendar, which is a solar calendar.
As discussed in Chris Armstrong's article titled "The Goodness of Good Friday," dated August 8, 2008 and found on the Christian History website, there are many explanations for why such a solemn day is called good. The Old English word for holy is good, so that translates to Holy Friday. Another thought is that Good Friday comes from “God’s Friday,” just like “good-bye” is derived from “God be with ye.” The simplest explanation is that the day is truly good because in Christ’s death, God had the last word. His people were redeemed by the death of Jesus Christ.
Catholic Traditions on Good Friday
Good Friday is noted and celebrated in many different ways throughout the world. Catholics mark the day by attending church and reliving the fourteen Stations of the Cross. The Stations of the Cross are areas throughout the church that show the events that took place leading up to, and including, Christ’s crucifixion, death and entombment. No mass is celebrated but special readings from the Scripture are read, including Christ’s Passion.
Another tradition is to venerate, or honor, the cross by kissing a crucifix. On Good Friday, the altar in the Catholic Church has no decorations and the candle, which always burns to note God’s presence, is unlit. This is the only day that God is considered not present in the church and the only day in the Catholic Church in which a mass is not celebrated.
Christian Customs on Good Friday
Protestants also hold special church services, generally between the hours of noon and three o’clock. This is believed to be the time that Christ hung on the cross. The focus of these services is on Christ’s seven last words. The Service of Darkness, known as the Tenebrae is celebrated in some Western Churches. During this ceremony the lights in the church are slowly dimmed until they are put out, marking the darkness that covered Earth upon Christ’s death. The Tenebrae ends with a loud noise known as the strepitus. This loud noise is used as a symbol to mark several sounds that are noted in scripture. They are: Jesus’ final cries, the earthquake at his death, the shutting of his tomb and the second earthquake when he rises from the dead. The Reverend Ken Collins explains on his website, kencollins.com, that the purpose of the Service of Darkness is to recreate the betryal, abandonment and agony of the events leading up to, and the death of, Christ.
Not all Christians celebrate Good Friday. Some non-Protestant churches and many Baptists observe Christ’s Crucifixion on a Wednesday, which coincides with the Jewish sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. According to the gospel of John, Christ’s death happened at this time.
Christ's death is celebrated by Christians around the world in many different ways but the signifigance of this holy day is universal; if Jesus had not suffered and died, Christians would not have been saved by his resurrection.
 |
 |
