Orthodox Christians commemorate Good Friday—also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, or Crucified Friday—as the most sorrowful and spiritually intense day of the Christian calendar. It marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, a moment of profound grief and sacrifice, making it the heaviest and most solemn Christian holiday.
Unlike other religious celebrations filled with joy and festivity, Good Friday is observed in silence and prayer, with no liturgies, only the reading of Gospel passages that recount the Passion of Christ—the week of His suffering leading to the crucifixion.
According to Orthodox Christian tradition, this is a day of strict fasting. Many believers refrain from eating and drinking entirely until sunset. The Church prescribes the strictest form of fasting, often just water only, as a way to honor the immense suffering of Jesus. Exceptions are made for the elderly, the sick, and children.
Besides fasting, it is also customary to abstain from all work, both in the home and in the fields. This is a day of Christian mourning, a time of reflection and reverence.
According to the Scriptures, Christ died on the cross around the sixth hour (noon). At that moment, the veil of the Temple in Jerusalem tore in two, the sun darkened, the earth trembled, the dead rose from their graves, and church bells shattered—a sign of the world's sorrow.
Since then, wooden bells are rung on Holy Friday in place of metal ones, which remain silent until Pascha (Easter Sunday), when they joyfully announce Christ’s Resurrection.
The evening of Good Friday is marked by a powerful ritual. In Orthodox churches, the body of Christ is symbolically taken down from the cross. A beautifully embroidered cloth (the epitaphios) is laid on a decorated table placed in front of the altar, representing Christ’s tomb. This sacred moment invites the faithful to bow, pray, and mourn the death of the Savior, in hope of the Resurrection to come.
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