Good Friday it’s a day of sorrow. Our ancestors honored traditions, and every day of the Christian calendar, carried a special, sacred meaning, requiring certain actions, and they were connected, usually with the historically significant event. In our bustling century, traditions are lost and forgotten. And not all Orthodox remember, with which events this day is connected. Let’s answer the question – Good Friday – what is it? And when is Good Friday in 2024?
On this day was crucified, Jesus Christ. Before this was committed unfair trial, after which the Jesus was subjected to terrible tortures. And this holiday is a reminder to people about this sin, painful death of the Jesus and his sorrowful subsequent burial.
A wave of a grief swept across the every part of globe, when Jesus was mocked and crucified. But, there were those followers, who believed and waited for his resurrection. That’s why today in this day we mourn and keep a strict fast, but already prepared painted eggs and cakes for Easter, as a token of our unwavering faith in the revival. This day is dedicated to grief at the same time hope and faith in a miracle. Believers ask a God on Good Friday for the forgiveness of sins, to meet the bright holiday of Easter “clean”.
What is the date of Good Friday 2024? In 2024 it falls on April 10. Good Week, named like the Good Friday in 2024 will happen in 10 to 15 April, excluding weekends: they are considered holidays. All week, the faithful people of strict fasting, and with the advent of the Good Friday many believers reject to eat at all, according to church rules.
Almost all beliefs fall on Good Friday, that, anyway connected with the death of Christ. Like example, the Poles believed that the person, who three years in a row regularly fasted on Good Week, will learn in advance about his death. It means to have a possibility to prepare and get a chance to appear in front of God “clean” as possible.
Prohibition of Good Friday
The mournful character of the day imposed many restrictions and regulations on the daily lives of believers. These include will make you understand clearer what kind is this day:
- Work
- On this day, delayed home deals: cleaning, laundry, garden work. Even simple holding the knife in a hand is considered a sin. People believed that the laundry, washed in the day and handed down to dry on the outside, can be covered with blood drops.
- No work on the ground. Those who disturbed the ground in this day of mourning is inviting a disaster, and all that will be planted on Good Friday, is likely to be lost or will bring no harvest in the future.
- To prepare for the upcoming Easter. It is tabued to prepare eggs, baking Easter cakes and generally do anything that means work. All these actions are recommended to do on “Maundy Thursday”. (Holy Thursday)
- Many believers are worshiping traditions of their ancestors, and to keep a strict fasting, trying to not wash, even a face. Nothing should distract from prayer: the person must fully devote himself to spiritual purification.
- Entertainment
- On this day, strictly forbidden to visit entertainment activities or simply to have fun. Children that are conceived in this day, will be born sick or have a risk to become killers in the future. Who drinks alcohol on Good Friday – can become dependent on alcohol. It is a sorrow and sadness day, so even listening to a music is a great sin. Even in the churches, there are no songs.
- It is tabued in this day to carry out various magic rituals, divination. Such actions are a great sin.
Rules of the Good Friday
- Visiting church
Believers in the Good Friday must visit church three times during the day. In this day priests read the story about the life and death of Jesus in the Gospel. It has a huge meaning and sacred value. In Christian churches, there is no liturgy.
Interesting Holidays:
- Fast
As mentioned above, this day is the most stringent throughout easter fast. In the morning people had nothing to eat, even warm water was unacceptable. Only after three hours of the day can be possible to eat a bit of bread.
- Thanks to Christ
On Good Friday, after the removal of the Epitaphios (Christian religious icon), people thank Christ for his taking the sins of all people on himself.
To be prepared to all these actions, if you are real Orthodox, you must not forget when is Good Friday 2024.
Traditions of Good Friday
Traditions arising from the time around the day, often at odds with each other. For example, a ban on any kind of homework is replaced by the rite of the oven cakes for Easter. It is believed that the baked cake will have healing properties and will not grow musty.
One more contradiction relates to the ban to worry the ground. However, in the new version the parsley, dill and peas sown on Good Friday will bring a great harvest, and make your land more fertile. Over time, the sayings are changing. Some are superimposed on the other, to create new, old modified beyond recognition. Believe it or not- but it is certain that they are no accident connected with Good Friday. This is a special day, and maybe we cannot fully understand how it differs from all the others, why it was chosen the day of Jesus’ death. What day Good Friday in 2024 will be for you – depends on what you believe in.
Interesting opinion
There is also a belief that Good Friday wrongly considered the most sorrowful days of easter fast. Jesus willingly accepted the torture and the pain associated with them, and later his death for the redemption of the sins of all people. He wouldn’t even ease his plight, drinking wine, which was meant for criminals, which were destined to excruciating death, and blunted the pain. The day is truly great, but in that meaning, that it marks the salvation from sin. And it should be carried out as a holiday and not as a funeral.
This view has no army of followers, but it has a right to exist. Exactly how to spend every day of the year, and Good Friday – it is own business of every Christian, in which soul lives his own censor, that always knows what is actually sin and what is not. When is Good Friday in 2024, calendar date is – Friday, April 10.
