Good Friday commemorates the day Jesus Christ was crucified at the Hill of Calvary, where he subsequently died. According to the Paschal Triduum, it is observed during the holy week and falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday.
Christians around the world commemorate Good Friday on Friday that falls before Easter Sunday. This year, Good Friday is marked on the calendar on April 6. Special masses and events are organized in churches around the globe on this day.
Good Friday is a day to remember and honour Jesus Christ's sufferings
Some people believe that Good Friday stems from the words “God’s Friday”. Others interpret “good” as “holy”. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ was flogged and forced to carry the cross on which he was crucified. Every year, Christians honour his suffering by observing Good Friday.
Following the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), the mainstream of Christian tradition has held that Jesus’ last meal with his disciples on the evening before his Crucifixion was a Passover seder. That would place the date on which Jesus died on 15 Nisan of the Jewish calendar, or on the first day (starting at sundown) of Passover.
Beginning in the Middle Ages, only the officiating priest took Holy Communion, which was consecrated in the Maundy Thursday mass; laypeople have also communed on Good Friday since 1955.
The liturgy of Good Friday consists of the reading of the Gospel Passion narrative, the adoration of the cross, and Communion.
In the 17th century, following an earthquake in Peru, the Three Hour Service, a prayerful meditation on Jesus’ “Seven Last Words on the Cross,” was introduced to the Catholic liturgy by the Jesuits. It takes place between noon and 3 PM. Similar services occur in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, where no Communion is celebrated on Good Friday.
Many Christians around the world practice fasting on this day. In some places around the world, like the Philippines, Italy and Spain, processions are carried out, commemorating the death of Jesus.
