The date of Good Friday, varies each year occuring
between March 20th and April 23rd. Good Friday is celebrated on the primary Friday that follows the day of the first full moon which occurs when spring has started.
Good Friday (Holy Friday) is a day of mourning in
church. In
many churches, Good Friday services begin at 12pm and last until 3 p.m. This
coincides with the hours that Jesus hung on the cross. During special Good
Friday services Christians meditate on Jesus’s suffering and death on the
cross, and what this means for their faith. No Mass is celebrated on Good
Friday; instead, the Church celebrates a special liturgy in which the account
of the Passion according to the Gospel of John is read, a series of
intercessory prayers (prayers for special intentions) are offered, and the
faithful venerate the Cross by coming forward and kissing it. Having no
communion on Good Friday is a tradition as in the early church, receiving
communion would have been regarded as breaking the fast that lasted from Good
Friday until the Easter Eucharist.
The name may be derived from "God's Friday,"
although more likely is a link to Old English as the word "good" was
used as a synonym for "holy,"
The crucifixion of Jesus is accepted by many scholars
as an actual historical event as it is recorded in the writings of Paul, the
Gospels, Josephus, and by the Roman historian Tacitus.
good friday
