Orthodox Good Friday in United States

Many people of the Orthodox Christian faith remember Jesus' death on the cross on Great Friday. ©iStockphoto.com/Clayton Hansen

What do people do?

Great Friday is a strict day of fasting for many Greek Orthodox Christians in the United States. Some Orthodox churches begin observing Holy Friday on Thursday night where service’s main feature is the reading of 12 sections from the gospels, all of which are accounts of Jesus Christ’s passion. Other churches may have a Good Friday service in the evening.  Some priests remove icons of Jesus from crosses and wrap them in linen to reenact ancient burial rites.

Some Orthodox Bulgarian churches have special traditions, which include allowing people to pass under a table in the middle of the church and light a candle after the church bell rings. This ritual is believed to wash away one’s sins. Many families of the Orthodox Christian faith may spend time on Great Friday to decorate Easter eggs as part of the Easter preparations.

Public life

Great Friday is not a federal public holiday in the United States. However parking conditions may be affected near churches where Great Friday services are held, particularly in busy urban areas.

Background

Many Orthodox churches retained the Julian calendar after the Gregorian calendar was introduced in Europe in 1582. Therefore they often follow a different Easter date compared with many western churches. Easter holidays, such as Good Friday, are “moveable feasts” as these dates change according to calendar calculations.

There are different types of Orthodox churches that are well established in the United States. Some of these churches include the Greek Hellenic Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America, and the Russian Orthodox Church. The Russian Orthodox Church in North America can be traced back to the late 18th century, where a Russian church was built on Kodiak Island in Alaska during that period.  Alaska was previously part of Russia until the United States bought the land. The number of Greek Orthodox churches grew as Greek immigration increased after the late 19th century in the United States.

Symbols

Many Orthodox Christian families prepare Easter eggs, which are beautifully decorated and often dyed red to symbolize the Jesus Christ’s blood.

About Orthodox Good Friday in other countries

Orthodox Good Friday Observances

Related holidays

• Orthodox Holy Saturday–Saturday, April 18, 2009
• Orthodox Easter–Sunday, April 19, 2009
• Orthodox Easter Monday–Monday, April 20, 2009

Other holidays in April 2009 in United States

• World Autism Awareness Day (Thursday, April 2, 2009)
• Pascua Florida Day (Thursday, April 2, 2009)
• United Nations' Mine Awareness Day (Saturday, April 4, 2009)
• Palm Sunday (Sunday, April 5, 2009)
• United Nations' World Health Day (Tuesday, April 7, 2009)
• First day of Passover (Thursday, April 9, 2009)
• Maundy Thursday (Thursday, April 9, 2009)
• Good Friday (Friday, April 10, 2009)
• Holy Saturday (Saturday, April 11, 2009)
• Easter Sunday (Sunday, April 12, 2009)
• Easter Monday (Monday, April 13, 2009)
• Father Damien Day (Wednesday, April 15, 2009)
• Tax Day (Wednesday, April 15, 2009)
• Emancipation Day (Thursday, April 16, 2009)
• Last day of Passover (Thursday, April 16, 2009)
• Orthodox Holy Saturday (Saturday, April 18, 2009)
• Orthodox Easter (Sunday, April 19, 2009)
• Patriot's Day (Monday, April 20, 2009)
• Orthodox Easter Monday (Monday, April 20, 2009)
• San Jacinto Day (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)
• Yom HaShoah (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)
• Administrative Professionals Day (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)
• Oklahoma Day (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)
• Earth Day (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)
• World Book and Copyright Day (Thursday, April 23, 2009)
• Arbor Day (Friday, April 24, 2009)
• Confederate Memorial Day (Monday, April 27, 2009)
• Yom HaAtzmaut (Wednesday, April 29, 2009)

Other calendars

• Perpetual yearly calendar - make yearly calendar for any year
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