The term “Good Friday” is misleading. Because there’s nothing good about it. Jesus Christ was crucified on Good Friday. The word “Good” means “holy”, and Good Friday is observed as a holy day. Which makes me wonder if the word “holiday” came to us from “holy-day”. And from hence forever forward, we decided to name the days we skip school – holidays.
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday, on which the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is commemorated in the Christian Church. It is traditionally a day of fasting and penance. Jesus suffered, so we all suffer today.
That’s right: NO drinking. No beer, no wine, no liquor, and not even wine coolers.
In Ireland, it’s actually illegal to sell alcohol on Good Friday – a ban dating back to 1927. Pubs are closed entirely and restaurants are forbidden to sell booze to patrons. On the eve of Good Friday, Irish supermarkets are often overloaded with people, stocking up on alcohol as though the city was going to shut down forever. Yeah, I can’t believe the Irish would actually ban booze for one day a year either. I mean, they are Irish. What do you expect?
When is Good Friday?
This year, Good Friday is on March 30, 2018.
Last year, Good Friday was on April 14, 2017.
Next year, Good Friday will be on April 19th,2019.
Why is it called Good Friday?
The famous Bible story begins with Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus. Despite being one of Christ’s disciples, Judas betrayed Christ. Jesus was brought before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Although Pilate could not find any evidence against Jesus, he gave in to the crowd’s clamor to crucify Christ. Christ was flogged, made to wear a crown of thorns, and eventually crucified alongside two common criminals. The story goes that when Christ finally gave up his spirit there was an earthquake. This happened on Friday, which later came to be known as Good Friday.
Jesus’s followers later placed his body in a tomb just before sunset. However, the tale does not end here. On the third day, which is now known as Easter, Jesus rose from the grave. As American author Susan Coolidge put it, “Earth’s saddest day and gladdest day were just three days apart!”
What is Good Friday?
Good Friday is a day of mourning and sorrow over the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and a reminder that the sins of all people made it necessary for him to die in the first place. It’s also a day of gratitude for the supreme sacrifice that he made.
Some believe that its name was originally God’s Friday, which, over the years, became its present name. In Germany, Christians call it Quiet Friday (from noon on Friday until Easter morning, church bells remain silent). Christians in other parts of Europe call it Great Friday or Holy Friday.
Protestant churches sometimes hold services between noon and 3:00 p.m. to commemorate Jesus’ hours on the cross. Catholics often remove everything from the altar and kiss the crucifix as an expression of worship. Some churches even hold a Service of Darkness in which candles are extinguished until people are left sitting in total darkness, as a reminder of the darkness that covered the earth after Jesus died.
Catholic churches actually do not hold services between the evening of Holy Thursday (day of the Last Supper) and the Easter vigil, as a means of remembering Jesus and his sacrifice.
Good Friday is a reminder of the compassion and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you’re religious, Good Friday tells us a tale of hope.
Good Friday Images
If the story is still fuzzy, let’s break it down in a picture.
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Happy Good Friday!
For 52 times a year, we love our Fridays. But we love this Friday a lot more than the rest. Because it is a f*cking HOLi-DAY. (Excuse my language.)
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