On the Friday before Easter, Christians celebrate one of the most mournful days in the church calendar, since it is at this time that the suffering and death of Jesus Christ is remembered. Good Friday, like any other day of Holy Week, has many different prohibitions, as well as signs that are directly necessary observe so that there is peace and tranquility in the family.
Good Friday: What not to do
Absolutely all sincere believers do not eat anything at all until the removal of the shroud. And immediately returning from church, the friendly family sits down at the dining table to eat food.Good Friday: what you can do
Signs of Good (Great) Friday
What date is Good Friday 2018, what rules of behavior are required of believers on this day, what can and cannot be done, will tell you
Good Friday 2018: what date is this day
Great Good Friday in 2018 falls on April 6th. This is the last Friday of Lent. As church traditions and folk signs say, Good Friday is, first of all, a day of repentance, prayer and reflection on one’s own life.
Good Friday: As Celebrated in Orthodox Christianity
Good Friday is the most mournful day in the Christian year, since it was on this day that Jesus Christ was crucified and suffered martyrdom in the name of the salvation of the entire human race. Good Friday is dedicated to remembering the suffering and death of the Savior. On this day of mourning, priests’ attire should not be light and festive.
There is no liturgy in church on Good Friday. During Vespers, which begins at about three o'clock in the afternoon - at the hour of Christ's death - a shroud with the image of Jesus taken from the cross is taken out of the altar, and is used to cover the table standing in the middle of the temple. Then prayers are read over the shroud, decorated with flowers, candles are lit and parishioners kiss the image of the Savior. This ritual symbolizes the removal from the cross, the position in the tomb and farewell to Jesus Christ.
What not to do on Good Friday: church traditions
You can't work on this day. You cannot sew, wash, cut, clean, dig, plant, cook, or even swim. These prohibitions are imposed on believers not because of laziness, but because of the need to devote time in the family to prayer and reading the Bible.
On Good Friday you cannot sing, have fun, laugh and lead an active, riotous lifestyle, as well as quarrel, shout and swear. This day should be spent thinking about your own life, thinking about the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
You can't eat food. Good Friday is the strictest day of Lent. Abstinence from food should last until the church service of Vespers and the removal of the shroud. After this, it is allowed to consume bread and water, and some believers continue to fast until Easter.
There is an opinion that pregnant women should not attend church on Good Friday. In fact, there is no such ban. A pregnant woman should rely only on her feelings and not do anything through force or against her will. If she wants to visit the temple and pray, then she can and even needs to do this, regardless of the time and date. In the later stages of pregnancy, it is advisable not to walk alone, but accompanied by someone close to her, so that she can count on their help if necessary.
Good Friday should not pass by as an ordinary, unnoticed day. Every believer should especially keenly try to feel and think about the main thing in his life. Is he going against his conscience when he puts the desire for wealth, profit and a successful career at the top of his priorities instead of mercy and philanthropy? Is he looking around for enemies whom he seeks to condemn? Is he not becoming like the example of those who betrayed Christ to death?
What not to do on Good Friday: popular beliefs
The people believed that from the moment the body of Jesus Christ was placed in the tomb until the moment of His resurrection, all evil spirits possessed special power and felt their impunity, therefore they came into our world, wandered the earth, and frightened the righteous inhabitants.
According to popular belief, if at this time a person sees something terrible, he must say three times: “May God rise again, and let His enemies be scattered,” in order to protect himself from evil spirits.
Also, you cannot fall asleep while reading the holy scriptures, otherwise the evil spirit will carry you to hell.
On this day you cannot do work, especially sewing, washing, digging, sticking sticks into the ground and hammering nails.
On Good Friday you cannot laugh and rejoice. Whoever laughs on this day will cry all year.
In 2018, Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter on April 8. The entire week preceding this event (from April 2 to April 7) is called Holy Week, as believers remember the suffering (passion) of Christ. The culmination comes on Good Friday, and many believers in this regard ask questions about what it is, and what can and cannot be done on this day.
Passionate, or Great, Friday is the day when the trial of Christ took place, after which the Savior was crucified and died on the cross. It is believed that on the same day the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross and buried. The story is described in detail in all four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
The death of Christ was a very tragic event. The Bible reports that as soon as he died, the stones next to the cross split, and the day became dark as night. The crowd of people shuddered, and many of them sincerely believed that Jesus was truly the Son of God, and not a common fraudster, as his accusers believed.
However, the tragedy of history lies not so much in these shocks, but in the fact that, in fact, many people betrayed the Savior. Indeed, not even a week had passed before the crowd enthusiastically greeted his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (today Palm Sunday is celebrated in honor of this). And on Friday, during the trial before Pontius Pilate, many of them, in a fit of anger, shouted: “Crucify him!”
That is why on Good Friday believers remember the feat of Christ with special reverence. On this day, services are held all over the world, and Orthodox Christians are even forbidden to eat any food. People want to show their respect and gratitude to the sacrifice of Christ, and besides, they strive, as it were, to come into contact with his suffering, pacifying the natural needs of the body.
Here is a brief description of the events of that day, which happened about 2000 years ago: the trial of the Lord and his execution.
Services on Good Friday: removal of the shroud
On such a day there is no morning service. But during the day at the service at about 3 p.m., when, according to the biblical description, the Savior “gave up the spirit,” i.e. died on the cross, the ritual of removing the shroud is performed.
The Shroud is a rather unusual icon. We are all accustomed to the fact that an image is usually drawn on a hard surface. However, in the case of the shroud, the image is applied to thick fabric (plate, which is where the name comes from). It depicts Christ laid in a tomb. The icon is carried out by several clergy, dressed in dark-colored clothing as a sign of mourning.
Temples are usually darkened, the light comes only from flickering candles. In such an environment, a special mood is truly created, in which many contrasting emotions merge: grief for the deceased, resentment and annoyance for the betrayal of people who committed a grave sin. And perhaps a person can experience the feeling of an approaching holiday, which marks the triumph of life over death, because two more days will pass and we will say: “Christ is risen! Truly risen!”
What to do on Good Friday before Easter
Believers often ask questions about what can and cannot be done on Good Friday before Easter. Indeed, this is a special day of the year, and many will find it useful to learn how to behave appropriately in connection with the events that happened 2000 years ago.
The most important thing to do on Good Friday is not even visiting the temple, for which many busy people really may not have time. Moreover, the service with the removal of the shroud is held during the day, when many are still at work. However, everyone can pay tribute to the Lord.
On such a day, it is worth paying attention to reflecting on the feat of Christ and reading the corresponding biblical story (for example, chapter 23 of Luke).
It won’t be superfluous to give alms or do any good deed that will really bring joy to someone. You can visit a loved one with whom you have not communicated for a long time. Reconcile and forgive grievances that have accumulated for a long time and are making themselves felt. In a word, for modern people there is a certain freedom of choice, which is not denied by representatives of the church. The main thing is good aspirations, a sincere desire to pay tribute to the Lord.
What not to do on Good Friday
For a long time in Rus' on Red Friday they tried to follow very strict rules, for example:
- do nothing around the house;
- do not sew or cut fabric;
- do not cook anything, do not light a fire;
- do not work on the ground, do not dig, etc.
However, it is quite clear to what extent the lifestyle of modern man has changed. Sometimes we simply have no choice: we need to go to work, dress and feed our children, help our family, cook dinner, etc.
Therefore, everyone acts in accordance with the circumstances. The corresponding commentary is given by many representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, for example, Archpriest John Makarenko.
At the same time, it is intuitively clear what exactly should not be done on Good Friday before Easter:
- indulge in any carnal pleasures;
- spend the day having fun;
- drink alcohol;
- watch entertainment programs, performances, etc.
Such behavior in itself is not reprehensible - every person strives for pleasure. But on such a mournful day, a believer cannot rejoice fully, because in these hours 2000 years ago one of the most tragic events in the history of mankind took place.
And having fun on Good Friday means almost the same as having a party on the day of a funeral or memorial.
NOTE
Among the questions about what can be done on Good Friday, believers are interested in baking Easter cakes and dyeing boiled eggs. According to tradition, it is better to do this on Maundy Thursday or at least on Saturday. It is not advisable to do such things on Friday, except in situations of extreme necessity.
Fasting on Good Friday
Also, one of the important questions is what you can’t eat on Good Friday before Easter. This time is considered the strictest during the entire Lent. Believers should not eat anything or even drink water until the end of the service and the removal of the shroud. And then, in the evening, you can drink water and eat bread. There is no need to prepare any dishes - all this time the mourning for the crucified Lord continues.
Quite strict rules continue to apply on Saturday. All the better will be the holiday itself - the Holy Resurrection of Christ, when you are allowed to eat any food, and a few glasses of good red wine are also not forbidden.
At the same time, church representatives say that each person should act according to their feelings. For example, if someone has a stomach illness or we are talking about a pregnant or nursing mother, you should not refuse food and water, because we are talking about health.
Here is Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko’s commentary on this matter.
Folk traditions and signs on Good Friday
Of course, any significant event is reflected in many ways in the mirror of people's history. After several centuries, it turns out that the memorable date begins to live its own life and acquires its own signs. Something similar happened with Good Friday.
For example, in Rus' on this day they often baked baked goods, for example, a bun in the shape of a cross. It was believed that such bread would never become moldy. And sailors took buns on long voyages and believed that they would be the ship’s talisman and protect them from maritime disasters.
Another interesting custom is that believers tried to bring 12 burning candles from the church, with which they stood at the service. These candles were carried lit and placed in any part of the house. They had to burn out to the end. It was believed that throughout the year (12 months) there would be peace and prosperity in the house.
Thus, Good Friday is the tragic day before Holy Saturday, dedicated to the remembrance of the earthly death of Christ. However, the holiday will be very soon, because the Lord will certainly rise again. And when Easter comes, everyone can sincerely rejoice and enjoy this solemn moment, which occupies a central place in the entire Christian religion.
Friday during Holy Week (week) of Lent is the strictest day when it is advisable for a believer to abstain from food altogether. Or eat only a little bread and water, and then only in the evening, after the rite of removing the Shroud has been completed. Yes, it was on Friday that Jesus was crucified. And many prohibitions and rituals are associated with this day in Christianity. What can and cannot be done on Good Friday?
Friday before Easter: what you can and cannot do on this day
Despite the widespread belief that Easter cakes and Easter cakes should be baked exclusively on, or at least on, Holy Saturday, bread can and should be baked on Friday. They had healing properties and lasted throughout the next year. If a person or animal fell ill in the house, he was given a piece of such bread. They believed that paskas and bread baked on the Friday before Easter do not become stale or moldy. If the ring was consecrated on this day, then it also had protective qualities and reliably guarded its wearer.
The traditions of Good Friday are very closely intertwined with the pagan rituals of the Slavic peoples. On this day, bonfires were burned on the high hills in honor of Perun, which guaranteed deliverance from evil spirits. People scared away the evil spirits with shouts and fire, and then rode on horseback through all the courtyards, waving axes, whips and lit splinters.
These same “lit splinters” were woven into church rituals. They tried to bring the candle lit at the service on Friday home safe and sound, without extinguishing it. And then they walked around the house with it, going clockwise, after which they set it to burn out in front of the household icons.
On Friday, any work related to the ground was prohibited. However, there is a belief that greens sown on this day will yield the largest harvest. So, parsley, dill or lettuce can and should be planted.
Interestingly, popular rumor associated Good Friday with breastfeeding, or more precisely, with its completion. It was believed that if you wean a baby from the breast today, he will grow up healthy, strong and be a happy person.
According to popular wisdom, Friday night foreshadowed a good harvest if it was starry. But the cloudy morning said that the field would be overgrown with grass.
The Good Friday Fast is the strictest day of Lent, which in 2019 began on March 11 and will last until April 27 inclusive. According to church canons, on this day you need to completely abstain from food.
Sputnik Georgia will tell you about the features of the church service on Good Friday, as well as what believers can and cannot do on this mournful day.
Church service
The service of Good (Red) Friday is entirely dedicated to the memories of the Savior's suffering on the cross - His crucifixion on Calvary, martyrdom, removal from the Cross and burial. These events are described in detail in all four Gospels.
On Good Friday, Matins is served in all churches, which is called the “Twelve Gospels.” The name "Matins" is symbolic, since the service begins at about eight o'clock in the evening and continues throughout the night.
© photo: Sputnik / A. Sverdlov
Painting "Procession to Calvary". Artist Michel Sittov (1469-1525).
At Matins, in the middle of the temple, twelve Gospel readings are read, starting with the Savior’s last conversation with his disciples at the Last Supper and ending with His burial in the garden of Joseph of Arimathea and the placing of military guards at His tomb.
Believers, while reading the Gospel, stand with lighted candles, showing on the one hand that glory and greatness did not leave the Lord even during His suffering, and on the other hand, ardent love for their Savior.
On Good Friday, no Liturgy is served in any of the Christian denominations. The only exceptions are those years when Good Friday coincides with the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which Orthodox Christians celebrate on April 7. On Good Friday the Royal Hours are celebrated.
Vespers is celebrated at the third hour of the day, when it is believed that Jesus died on the cross. At Vespers, a special canon is sung about the crucifixion of the Lord and the Shroud is brought out. This is a plate on which the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted in full height, lying in the tomb.
The Gospel is usually placed on the Shroud, and a censer is placed in front of it. It is customary to decorate the shroud with flowers in memory of how the body of the buried Jesus was anointed with incense by the myrrh-bearing wife.
Before the Shroud it is necessary to bow to the ground and venerate it. All services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday begin and end not in the altar, but in front of the Shroud.
© Sputnik / Alexander Imedashvili
The shroud is in the center of the temple for less than three days, symbolizing the three-day stay of Jesus Christ in the tomb. A few minutes before the Easter procession, she is brought back to the altar.
In the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta (the ancient capital of Georgia), where the greatest relic, the Shroud of Jesus Christ, is kept, a cross is placed in front of the altar and a special ritual is performed.
Red Friday is a day of sorrow and remembrance for all believers, when everything earthly and mortal loses its meaning. At the same time, this day is thoroughly permeated with the coming miracle of the Resurrection.
Do's and Don'ts
On Red Friday, believers must abstain from eating until the Shroud is taken out, until approximately 2-3 p.m. After this, you can only eat bread and drink water. Some even go hungry on this day.
In addition to strict restrictions on food, believers must renounce worldly concerns as much as possible, since they cannot work on this day. In many countries, Good Friday is a day off, including in Georgia.
Orthodox Christians deeply experience Good Friday as the most mournful and important day of the year. On this day they not only do not eat, but also do not work. Red Friday is officially declared a non-working day in Georgia, as in many other countries.On Red Friday you cannot sew, spin, cut, saw or chop anything. It is forbidden to carry out agricultural work, and under no circumstances should you drive iron objects into the ground - apparently, by analogy with nailing a cross.
Therefore, all things need to be done on Maundy Thursday, and on Good Friday you need to go to service and pray. After the service, parishioners can take with them the twelve candles with which they stood in the temple. Light these candles in the house until they burn out, trying to cover all corners. This will cleanse the atmosphere in the house and attract good things.
On Good Friday, you should avoid cutting your hair, coloring your hair, and generally performing any cosmetic procedures. Those who adhere to strict fasting rules do not even wash their faces on Friday. On this day, nothing should distract from prayer and spiritual self-improvement.
Also, if someone’s birthday or anniversary falls on this sorrowful day, the celebration must be postponed, because having fun, singing, having fun and walking on the day of universal sorrow is prohibited. In the old days they said that whoever laughs on this day will cry all year.
According to ancient tradition, eggs were painted on one of the days of Holy Week - the week preceding the onset of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. It is recommended to practice this ritual on Maundy Thursday, when general cleaning of the house is carried out, Easter cakes are baked and other events in preparation for the great holiday.
© photo: Sputnik / Maria Tsimintia
But in some countries, including Georgia, according to tradition, people paint eggs, which symbolize the shed blood of Jesus Christ, on Red Friday before sunset.
Before you start coloring the eggs, you need to read the “Our Father” and ask the Lord for a blessing. In addition to prayer, you should also arm yourself with a recipe on how to properly color eggs so that they do not crack during cooking and the color is uniform.
Signs, customs and traditions
On Good Friday you must refrain from drinking alcohol and carnal pleasures. People who get drunk on the day of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ risk becoming alcoholics. And children conceived on Good Friday are born sick or become violent criminals in the future.
On Good Friday you cannot spit on the ground - folk signs say that whoever spits on the ground will turn away all the Saints for the whole year.
On Good Friday you can determine whether your home is damaged. To do this, with the remainder of the lit candle with which you defended the service, you need to go around the entire house or apartment room by room. Near the “damaged” item, the candle will crackle loudly and begin to emit black smoke.
It is undesirable to perform other rituals and conspiracies on Good Friday.
Easter cakes and any pastries baked on Good Friday will never become moldy. In the old days, a piece of such Easter cake was kept all year and given to a sick person to eat. Also, a piece of Easter cake can protect the house from fire if it is stored all year until next Easter behind the icons.
We have already said that on Good Friday you cannot dig the ground or plant anything. According to popular belief, if you sow wheat or plant anything on this day, there will be no harvest.
Doing laundry on Good Friday is also prohibited. There is a belief that if you wash clothes on this day and hang them out to dry, traces of blood will appear on them.
It is said that a person who completely abstains from food and water for the entire day will know in three days the time of his death.
In the old days, on Good Friday they determined what year was expected. To do this, waking up first thing in the morning, without talking to anyone, you had to look out the window. If you saw a bird first, then for a girl it means a new acquaintance, and for a guy it means good news.
If your gaze fell on a dog, such a sign foreshadowed sadness and sadness. Seeing a cat first on Good Friday means prosperity and a rich life. If you see a young guy or man, you will be healthy all year, and a young girl will be prosperous.
Seeing a whole family meant living with all relatives in peace and harmony. Well, if your gaze fell on an old man, a disabled person or a sick person, then this, unfortunately, foreshadowed an illness or a major loss.
Sore legs and lower back can be treated with an ordinary rag, if on Good Friday you wipe all the corners in the house with it and put it away from prying eyes.
Stove ash taken on this day helps in the treatment of alcoholism, the evil eye and mortal melancholy.
Healers used the magic of this day for many purposes - they treated diseases, placed amulets, and spoke spells against illnesses.
The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.
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