How to Observe Good Friday

As the day Christ died on the cross, the Friday before Easter is the most somber day in the Christian calendar. Even if you're not a practicing Christian, you can observe the symbolism of death before resurrection - a theme dating from a time long before the birth of Christ.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Bible

1. Cover all crosses, pictures and statues in black and extinguish all candles to symbolize mourning for Christ's death.

2. Attend your church's Good Friday service. Many churches reenact the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, traditionally held in mid-afternoon at Catholic churches, although some churches have moved it to later in the day to enable more people to attend. In other churches, the drama occurs on Palm Sunday and the Good Friday services are more simple and solemn.

3. Participate in the Holy Communion, given at Catholic and other churches. Keep in mind that only baptized Catholics who have made their First Communion should receive communion in a Catholic church.

4. Consider attending the Stations of the Cross (a Catholic tradition) at the Good Friday service, where paintings and banners are used to represent scenes depicting the end of Jesus's life, from his betrayal to his death. Participants can sing hymns and pray as they move from station to station.

Tips & Warnings

• You may wonder how the anniversary of a crucifixion can be called "good." In the case of Good Friday, the word simply means holy.

• In 2000, Good Friday falls on April 21.

• Good Friday, like all Fridays during Lent, is a day of abstinence from meat for Catholics, and it is also a day of fast, done in honor of Christ's own 40-day fast in the desert. Note that some churches focus less on fasting and encourage charitable deeds.