Good Friday 2024: Good Friday is observed during the Holy Week, two days before the celebration of Easter Sunday. This year, it falls on March 29. Also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Black Friday, the day commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary by the Romans.
If the day symbolizes sorrow, pain, and death, then why is it slated as ‘Good’?
Good Friday 2024: 10 Interesting Facts about Holy Friday and its Significance
Why is it called Good Friday?
How the death of Jesus can be Good? There are various reasons to mark the origin of ‘Good’ used to refer to the event of the crucifixion.
First, the word "good" originally meant "holy" in Old English, so "Good Friday" could be synonymous with "Holy Friday" or "God's Friday." This argument makes a lot of sense, according to an expert, if we take into account the other names for Good Friday, such as "Sacred Friday" (Roman languages) or "Passion Friday" (Russian).
Second, the day is referred to as Good Friday in context to the holiday’s ties to Easter Sunday, which celebrates the resurrection of Christ. Because Jesus couldn’t have been resurrected without dying, so the day of his death is, in a sense, “good.”
According to Huffington Post, "That terrible Friday has been called Good Friday because it led to the Resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death and sin and the celebration of Easter, the very pinnacle of Christian celebrations."
Fourth, According to Luke 23:34, Jesus before dying asked God to forgive his executors even as he was tortured, saying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." As a result, Good Friday symbolises the elimination of the last obstacle between God and mankind. And if we do not forgive, we do not let go, and hanging onto our resentment distances us even more from God. Therefore, you must learn to forgive those who wrong or harm you if you want God to pardon your faults.
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So, now it's clear that it refers to ‘Good’ because of its meaning and relevance to people in different parts of the world. For example, the holiday is referred to as "the Holy and Great Friday" in the Greek Church, whereas it is known as "Sorrowful Friday" in German.
The day has been commemorated for many centuries. Good Friday is the day Christians remember Jesus Christ's suffering and crucifixion on Good Friday by the Romans, who were in charge of Jerusalem at the time.
And because it is not a day of celebration but mourning and reflection for Christians, people do not greet each other by saying “Happy Good Friday”. Or it is not mentioned as ‘celebrated’ but ‘observed’ in particular everywhere.
For many, Good Friday serves as a day of remembrance that includes fasting and attending church. Many churches hold re-enactments of Jesus Christ's agonising journey with the cross up the Mount of Calvary, where he was forced to wear a crown of thorns and endure agony as he made the laborious climb to the mountain's peak. Some churches hold daylong services, while others limit them to the three hours that Christ was crucified and hung on the cross.