The Friday before Easter is the most solemn day for Christians - it is the day on which Jesus Christ died on the cross. This day is known as Good Friday, Holy Friday, Great Friday or Black Friday. As such, Good Friday is a day of mourning, and all the ceremonies and rituals of the day are centered on the feeling of sorrow, at the pain and humiliation that Jesus underwent for the cause of goodness and humanity. The message of Good Friday is that the dictum of "an eye for an eye" cannot work. The way to conquer evil is through good. Similarly, violence can be overcome only by non-violence and hatred by love.
Good Friday is devoted to fasting and prayer, as a way of following the example of Jesus, who stressed the role of prayer in the struggle to conquer evil. The service consists of prayers and readings from the Bible. In many churches, a piece of wood in the shape of the cross is kept. People pray before the cross and kiss it. Jesus is believed to have died on the Cross at three in the afternoon. Therefore, the traditional service lasts for three hours from noon. Some churches concentrate less on prayers, and instead, encourage people to become involved in charitable deeds.
Good Friday is a holy day observed by the Christian community, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus. According to the Bible, Jesus is believed to have died around 3 p.m. in the afternoon. Jesus was crucified for the sake of humanity in 33 A.D. It was termed as the victory of good over evil and since then, the day has been celebrated as Good Friday. The need of sacrifice for human sins is acknowledged in most of the world's oldest religions. It is believed that Jesus was the medium between human and God. He was God's perfect sinless substitute, who bore the punishment on behalf of the sinful human race. Through his sacrifice, Jesus became the bridge between humans and god. He is believed to be the son of God.
Good Friday is a day of mourning in church. It is observed as a day of fasting and penance in the memory of Jesus. On this day, the followers solemnly remember the atonement of Lord Jesus Christ and His great sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. It is followed by peaceful prayer and mediation. The service also calls for reading from all the four gospels. These gospels recount the events of the passion, from the Last Supper through the Crucifixion and the burial of Jesus.
Good Friday rituals and traditions are distinct from those of all other Church observances and add to the day considerable significance. The entire ceremony is somber, with priests and deacons dressing in black vestments. The pulpit and the altar are bare, and no candles are lit. The purpose behind the solemn presentation is to create an awareness of grief over the sacrifice of God's only begotten Son.
The Roman Catholic Church observes Good Friday with several long-standing traditions, all of which aim at remembering Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for the sins of humans. Good Friday is a day of fasting and the altars of the churches are made without candles. The Liturgy of the Word, the Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion also takes place on this day. Though Good Friday is celebrated in different ways around the globe, the basic essence of the holiday remains the same.
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