Bhubaneswar: Easter heralds spring and joyful celebrations for Christians. However, two days before its arrival, Christians observe another holy day – Good Friday. This year Good Friday takes place on April 7.
Significance Of Good Friday
According to Catholics, Good Friday is the day when Christians observe the suffering and execution of Jesus by the Roman Empire in Jerusalem. The day focuses on the passion and death of Jesus. Some observe this solemn day by fasting or abstaining from meat and/or church services that reflect on the Good Friday story in the scriptures. On Sunday, observations turn celebratory as Christians recognise that after three days in a tomb, Jesus rose from the dead on Easter.
When Was Good Friday Established
The day has been commemorated for many centuries. Roman Catholics claim they have historical evidence from the 4th-century diary of a wealthy woman, Egeria, who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. She wrote of her travels and included how Christians kept Palm Sunday and other rituals. Eventually, as Christianity spread, the day was observed by other early churches in places such as Antioch, Rome and Constantinople.
Why Is It Called Good Friday
It is likely because the word “good” once meant “holy,” a theory supported by many linguists and even the Oxford English Dictionary. Some linguists and historians debate the theory that “Good Friday” might have evolved from a previous name, “God’s Friday.” However, many cannot find a link between the two words.
How Is Good Friday Observed
Different ways of honouring the day have evolved, and many Good Friday traditions and popular devotions are still practised today.
In the Middle Ages, Francis of Assisi popularised a symbolic pilgrimage to Jerusalem, known as Stations, or Way, of the Cross. The devotion includes crosses spaced at intervals alongside art objects such as paintings or sculptures depicting pivotal scenes from Jesus’ life. People stop to pray, meditate, and read or hear Biblical passages at each station. It is commonly prayed during Lent and especially on Good Friday.
Passion plays, which dramatise the final days of Jesus’ life, also started in the Middle Ages.
Some faithful visit seven different churches on Good Friday, spending a moment of prayer at each. Others attend a service based on the seven last words (or direct quotes) of Jesus with readings of Bible passages, a sermon, prayers, and hymns.
Fasting and attending religious services are part of the commemoration for many on Good Friday. For example, for Roman Catholics, the religious service on Good Friday is the middle part of a three-day-long liturgy, or official rites, called the Triduum. It’s the most sacred liturgy of the year, Roman Catholics say.
Anglican, Orthodox, and many Protestant faiths also hold special services on Good Friday to remember the suffering of Jesus in preparation for the celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Wishes On Good Friday
While the Christians across Odisha observed Good Friday today, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took to his Twitter handle to greet the people of the state on this holy occasion. He wrote, “My solemn prayers on #GoodFriday. On this auspicious day, may Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice guide us in the path of peace, love, compassion, harmony and universal brotherhood.”
My solemn prayers on #GoodFriday. On this auspicious day, may Lord Jesus Christ's sacrifice guide us in the path of peace, love, compassion, harmony and universal brotherhood. pic.twitter.com/YtNA3AaqA3
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) April 7, 2023
