Good Friday is the Christian commemoration of Jesus' Passion
story; specifically his betrayal, trial and crucifixion that are described in
the Christian gospels. In the sequence of Holy Week, it follows the rituals
marking the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday and precedes the celebration of
Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday. In 2014, it
takes place on April 18.
Since Jewish tradition dictates that Friday begins at sundown on
Thursday, the events of Good Friday traditionally begin with the betrayal
of Jesus by his apostle Judas in the garden of Gethsemane. He is subsequently
brought before the Sanhedrin council, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate and
King Herod of Galilee with the ultimate outcome being his condemnation to death
by crucifixion.
The trial of Jesus and his crucifixion are described in
varying detail by all four canonical Gospels, the Jewish historian Josephus and the Roman writer Tacitus.
Good Friday church services generally revolve around the reading
of the Gospel accounts of the Passion story. The Catholic liturgy for Good Friday also includes the
distribution of the Eucharist that was consecrated during the Mass on Maundy
Thursday and special veneration of the cross by inviting individuals to
approach the altar and kiss the wood of the crucifix.
Many Christians also mark Good Friday by participating in or
watching processions meant to replicate the journey that Jesus took through the
streets of Jerusalem while carrying his cross to the site of his crucifixion at
Calvary. Two of the largest and most famous of these occasions are Rome's Way of the Cross that leads to the Colosseum and is
presided over by the Pope and the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem -- a procession along the
traditionally marked route of Jesus that is attended by thousands of pilgrims
each year.
Good Friday is also a day of strict fasting for Catholics and
some other Christians. As with all the Fridays of Lent, Catholics are
instructed to abstain from eating meat. As with Ash Wednesday,
the fasting rules for Good
Friday dictate that
adherents should eat only one full meal with two smaller meals being permitted
as long as no other food is consumed in the interim. The use of other
meat-based products such as lard, chicken broth or dairy is not traditionally
forbidden, although many individuals elect to make their Good Friday meals
entirely vegetarian or vegan.
In many countries with strong
Christian traditions such as those in Latin America, Good Friday is observed as
a national holiday. Good Friday is not a federal holiday in the United States,
but several states observe it as an official state holiday by closing
government offices, courts and banks.
