Even though it is called a Good Friday, there is nothing good and happy about the day because it is the day to commemorate the crucifixion, suffering, and death of Jesus Christ. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum.
Good Friday is celebrated on the Friday before Easter. According to the Gregorian (Western) calendar, this date would be the 7th of April. But Christians don’t follow the fixed date. This year’s Good Friday will fall on Friday, 15th April 2022. And 2 days later, on 17th April, Easter will be celebrated.
It is a momentous day for Christians all around the world because they believe that the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ is a turning point for all creation as he died for the sins of mankind and was raised back again as said in the scriptures.
After the last supper, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and put on trial where he was sentenced to death. He was tied and nailed by the wrists and feet to a large wooden cross and left to die. This is why the cross is used as a symbol of the Christian faith.
Good Friday is a day of mourning when Christians remember that Jesus sacrificed himself for our sins which is then followed by Easter, the day he was resurrected as a victory against sin.
In Germany, this day is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday”. Eastern Orthodox Christians call it "Great and Holy Friday.” Meanwhile, in Spanish, it’s called Viernes Santo, meaning, “Holy or Sacred Friday”.
But why is it called ‘Good’ Friday in English, there are some assumptions.
Some say it comes from the use of "Good" as an adjective applied to the day, which is an Old English synonym for "holy."
Some believe it developed from an older name, “God’s Friday.”
Most believe that the day is good because of the message it gives which is the victory of Christ over the sins of mankind.
On Good Friday, many Church services are held in the afternoon, usually between noon to 3pm, to remember the hours when Jesus was crucified on the cross. In the Vatican City, the Pope will say a mass at the Vatican before leading an annual public prayer of the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome. A procession is then made to the Palatine Hill, accompanied by a huge cross covered in burning torches.
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