30 March 2013-What is so good about Good Friday? I mean, why is it called a Good Friday? When we think about Lent, it is associated with things like mourning, fasting and other kinds of penance. Good Friday is still part of a Lent that ends with Easter celebrations. So, why is it ‘Good’ Friday then?
What Happened On Good Friday…
To spell it out clearly, Good Friday is the day on which Crucifixion Of Christ happened. The exact date that has been calculated in retrospect was around the 3rd of April, A.D. 33. This was the day when earth barreled and the handful of faithful Christians mourned like never before. The Crucifixion of Christ is probably the worst crime committed on early Christians. It was the day when the pious must have lost all their hopes. Then, why was this sad day termed as ‘Good Friday’?
Does ‘Good’ Really Means Good?
To explain this seeming absurd classification, we need to go into the etymological details of the word ‘good’. This incident happened more than 20 thousand years back. At that time English was still in its Anglo-Saxxon phase or rather in its pre-Christian phase. The ancient meaning of the word ‘good’ could have been ‘holy’. So, that sums up to a less blatant and suitably sobre, Holy Friday. It became ‘holy’ because ‘holy’ blood was spilled and it purified everyone from their respective sins.
‘Good’ Or ‘God’?
In many ancient texts, ‘God’ has been interchanged with ‘good’ to make the meaning slightly different. Good Bye is an example of this confusion. Have you ever wondered why bidding adieu would have ‘good’ attached to it. This is because, the original phrase was, ‘God be with you’. The vestiges of this greeting is now the casual, good-bye. This can be the reason why Good Friday came into being.
Was It Really That Bad?
According to Christian rituals, Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Good Friday is the day when Christ was crucified. Only because he was crucified and suffered for the sins of mankind, did we gain freedom from our cursed existence? Then how can such a day not be considered ‘good’. It may not be celebrated like Easter, but is inherently ‘good’.
Why Is It Always On Friday?
Now that we have found justifiable cause for calling it ‘good’, let us see why is it always on a Friday. It is really hard to say what kind of calender system existed that time. So, how are we sure that Christ was crucified on a Friday. This is because, Easter celebrations take place on Sunday. Christ stayed in his grave for ‘3 days’ literally meaning 3 sunsets. This is the reason why Good Friday always falls on a Friday.
