Good Friday (Holy Friday)!

What happened on Good Friday?
Jesus was arrested and. He was handed over to the Roman soldiers to be beaten. A crown of long, sharp thorns was thrust upon his head.
Jesus was forced to carry his own cross outside the city to Skull Hill. He was so weak after the beating that a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was pulled from the crowd and forced to carry Jesus' cross the rest of the way.
Jesus was nailed to the cross. A sign above Jesus read "The King of the Jews."

Good Friday Superstitions
There are a number of superstitions relating to Good Friday:
A child born on Good Friday has the gift of healing.
Many fishermen will not set out for catch on Good Friday.
Bread or cakes baked on this day will not go mouldy.
Eggs laid on Good Friday will never go bad.
The planting of crops is not advised on this day, as an old belief says that no iron should enter the ground (i.e. spade, fork etc.).
Hot cross buns baked on Good Friday were supposed to have magical powers. It is said that you could keep a hot cross bun which had been made on Good Friday for at least a year and it wouldn't go mouldy.
Hardened old hot cross buns are supposed to protect the house from fire
Sailors took hot cross buns to sea with them to prevent shipwreck.
A bun baked on Good Friday and left to get hard could be grated up and put in some warm milk to stop an upset tummy.
Having a hair cut on Good Friday will prevent toothaches the rest of the year.

What happens on Good Friday today?
Good Friday today is still a public holiday in much of the UK. This means that many businesses are closed.
Many churches hold a special service. This may be a communion service in the evening or a time of prayer during the day, especially around 3 o'clock as that is about the time of day when Jesus died.
Churches are not decorated on Good Friday. In some churches, pictures and statues are covered over.

Traditional Food

It is traditional to eat warm 'hot cross buns' on Good Friday.
Hot Cross Buns with their combination of spicy, sweet and fruity flavours have long been an Easter tradition.

The pastry cross on top of the buns symbolises and reminds Christians of the cross that Jesus was killed on.

The buns were traditionally eaten at breakfast time, hot from the oven.

It is traditional to eat fish on Good Friday instead of meat.



Good Friday Traditions
Traditionally Good Friday was the day when everything was cleaned and whitewashed in preparation for Easter Sunday.