Hyderabad: Good Friday is an important day for Christians, observed annually on the Friday before Easter. It commemorates the death of Jesus Christ who was crucified. Christians have been observing it as a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Date fixing- The Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke say that Jesus' last meal with his disciples before his crucifixion was a Passover seder, a symbolic feast which is done in celebration of liberation of Hebrews from Egypt. Going by this, the death of Jesus would fall on the 15th of Nisan in the Jewish calendar or the first day of Passover, which falls on April 7th in the Gregorian calendar.
The Gospel according to John says that Passover had not yet begun when Jesus' final meal was held, meaning the date of death would fall on the 14th of Nisan. Christians, instead of commemorating it on a fixed date, follow the flexible date of the Passover (based on Jewish lunisolar calendar), by equating the Last Supper to the Passover seder. Therefore, Good Friday is observed between March 20, and April 23, which are the first and last possible dates for Passover. The Sunday that follows is observed as Easter signifying the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
How commemoration evolved over time- The commemoration of Jesus' death and resurrection and the Last Supper were observed together on the evening before Easter until 4th Century. Thereafter, all three events are observed separately with Thursday before Good Friday is observed as Maundy Thursday to commemorate the Last Supper. Good Friday will commemorate the Jesus' death and Easter, his resurrection.
Liturgy-In the Roman Catholic Church, the mass is not celebrated on this day, but a liturgy is performed. Earlier, only the head parish priest who was leading the service partook in the Holy Communion. The bread and wine would be consecrated in the previous day in the Maundy Thursday mass. As per the liturgy of Good Friday, reading of the Gospel Passion narrative, the adoration of the cross, and Communion are the major components.
In the 17th century, the Three Hour Service, a prayerful meditation on Jesus' "Seven Last Words on the Cross," was introduced to the Catholic liturgy by the Jesuits after an earthquake hit Peru. The service usually is held between noon and 3 PM. Eastern Orthodox churches too follow Catholics who do not celebrate Communion on Good Friday.
As for the Anglicans, The Book of Common Prayer provides for a Good Friday reception of the "reserved sacrament," which is the consumption of bread and wine consecrated the previous day. A variety of liturgical services are held on Good Friday in other Protestant churches as discussed above.
Religious overtones-In the second half of the 20th century, with the revival of a liturgical emphasis in Protestantism, there has been a trend of adopting Catholic rituals. The rituals include the organ which accompanies while congregational and choir songs will not be used. The crosses will be draped and the altar will be bared. Good Friday differs from Christmas and Easter. The other two events have acquired numerous secular traditions over the years whereas Good Friday has a religious overtone due to its connection to Crucifixion of Christ.
