A religious day of Christians, remembering the passion, suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross, is known as Good Friday. People celebrate the Good Friday by observing fast and doing prayers, remembering the sorrow and meditation on the suffering of Jesus Christ.
As the day is right the corner, so, we are here to present you some major details regarding Good Friday 2020.
When is Good Friday 2020?
This year in 2020, the day is going to be celebrated on April 10, Friday. The day was observed as an official bank holiday since the year 1871, but at the same time, it was often informally observed as a public holiday earlier that date.
After Good Friday celebration, the day will be followed by Easter Monday, on April 13. However, due to coronavirus pandemic, the day will be celebrated from the homes as many churches would be close on this day in order to prevent spreading the virus in the country.
Why it is called Good Friday, not Bad Friday?
Many people wonder why the day is called Good Friday rather than Bad Friday as the event reminds the suffering and the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. But for many Christians, the day indicates a turning point for creation, where Jesus sacrificed himself to free humanity of their sins. Therefore, the day is called “Great Friday”.
Many believe that Jesus has not only separated us from our sins, but the sins itself separate us from God. Jesus sacrificed life off his own in order to make everyone free from their sins. At last, he also took the sins of everyone on him. Devotees say that He is the only one through which our sins can be let off. Therefore, Good Friday is said to be as good because of Jesus unrestricted everyone from their sins on that day.
Also, the day was not celebrated on a Friday every time. As per to Britannica, Jesus’ Last Supper, Death, as well as Resurrection were witnessed the night before Easter Sunday in only one particular service. After that, Christians started celebrating Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday individually. In many of the English-native countries, the holiday is also called “Good Friday.”
Why do We celebrate Good Friday?
Good Friday commemorates the belief that on this day the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was executed, before his resurrection in three days later.
As per to the Roman Catholic Church, the day is traditionally observed by worshipers who participate in the Three Hours’ Agony, or Three Hours’ Devotion, a solemn service that starts at noon and carries on till 3:00 PM, the time at which several Christians believe that Jesus died.
On the other hand, the Lutheran Church says that Good Friday is the most significant liturgical day of the year. On this day, members of the church often fast and desist from work in adherence to it.
While Eastern Orthodox traditions say that Good Friday is observed on a different date, because of the disagreements with the Roman Church over the precise date of Easter itself.