Amid Lockdown, People Brace For Good Friday & Easter; All You Need To Know About The Christian Festivity

For Christians around the world, today is Maundy Thursday a day before Good Friday and part of the Holy or Passion Week. Here are some facts about the upcoming Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

(Photo by Sunil Ghosh/via Getty Images)

For Christians around the world, today is Maundy Thursday a day before Good Friday and part of the Holy or Passion Week. For the churches, the passion week starts from Palm Sunday (April 5) and lasts till Easter Sunday (April 12). Starting Palm Sunday, there are three important days for Christians, Monday, Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. These days are observed mostly by every Christian denomination. Here are some facts about the upcoming Good Friday and Easter Sunday-

• Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday is supposed to be the day when Jesus Christ had his last meal before being crucified. It is believed that he was betrayed by his own disciple, Judas. In Western culture, Judas has become synonyms to a traitorous action hidden by a show of affection.
• In Christian traditions, Good Friday is observed as a commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is often considered as a day of fasting and attending church services. In many denominations, ‘Passion Plays’ or ‘Easter Pageant’ are also conducted. There is Dramatic re-enactment of the trial and death of Jesus Christ.

• There is no fixed date for Good Friday. It is calculated by determining the date for Easter according to ‘paschal full moon’(Pascha is an Aramaic word for Passover which is a Jewish festival ). Easter falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that is usually on or after March 21. Therefore, the date of Good Friday keeps changing each year.
• The ‘good’ in Good Friday is a much-debated term. Most Christians ‘Good’ is used to denote holy or just a corruption of ‘God’s Friday’. The day is also considered as ‘good’ as it is believed that Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for humanity. The term Good Friday is not available in the Bible. The earliest known use of ‘guode Friday’ is found in a text from 1290 AD, The South English Legendary.
• Eggs are a big part of Easter traditions from decorating eggs to an Easter egg hunt. Egg decoration has a long history and archaeologists have also found decorated ostrich eggs dating from 65,000 to 55,000 years ago in South Africa. Coloured eggs are also during the Nowruz celebration by Parsis. Consumption of chocolate eggs, on the other hand, is a recent tradition.
• The Easter bunny is also part of most Western Christian culture. It is equivalent to Santa Claus on Christmas and it is believed that the bunny brings Easter eggs for children on Easter Sunday. The origin of the Easter bunny is in Germany and it is mentioned in 17th-century German literature. The ‘Oschter Haws’ or Easter hare, was supposed to lay colourful eggs for children who were not naughty. Research also says that Easter was part of a pagan ritual that celebrated the beginning of spring.
• On a lighter note, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared the Easter Bunny as an essential worker and assured children that the bunny will ensure they receive eggs and treats despite the coronavirus lockdown in the country.

Due to the lockdown and the need for social distancing this year most churches in India have opted to conduct church services for the Holy week using live streaming.