Good Friday
Good Friday falls on a different date every year because Easter is a
moveable feast. But it is always two days before Easter Sunday, which is
celebrated on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon on or after
the March equinox, but never before March 22. The Church of England and
the Roman Catholic Church both follow the Gregorian Calendar and
celebrate Easter on the same dates. A majority of Orthodox churches
still follow the Julian Calendar and celebrate Orthodox Good Friday a
little later in the spring most years.
Good Friday is a
Christian observance which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
It is a day of mourning in church and special Good Friday services are
held where Christians meditate on Jesus's suffering and death on the
cross, and what this means for their faith. Calling it 'Good Friday' may
seem a bit bizarre, but some people think that it was once called God's
Friday or Holy Friday.
Good Friday is part of Holy week and it is
a public and bank holiday throughout the UK. That`s why most businesses
and organizations are closed. Some people use the day to work in their
gardens; others take advantage of the Easter weekend to travel. Some go
to the Alps for a skiing holiday, while others prefer destinations like
Spain or France to enjoy warmer temperatures. Most shops and
supermarkets, restaurants, pubs, theatres, and cinemas are open on Good
Friday. So, there are also those, who just go shopping.
Many
Catholics do not eat meat on Good Friday. Whether you eat fish or meat
for your main course, the most common thing on the Good Friday menu in
the UK, are hot cross buns. While every family may have their
traditional recipe for hot cross buns, they are all made from sweet
yeast dough, with currants or other dried fruit and spices like
cinnamon. The top of the bun is decorated with a cross, which was
originally made of dough or just a knife imprint. These days, the cross
is usually made of yellow, white, or even chocolate frosting. Many split
the buns in half, toast them, and spread them with butter, while others
prefer to enjoy them as they are.
These popular buns were possibly enjoyed all year round in the past. However, in 1592, Queen Elizabeth I decreed that hot cross buns could only be sold on Good Friday, at Christmas, or for burials. People still baked buns, mainly in their kitchens at home. If you were caught, the punishment was to give up all the baked goods to the poor.
Traditional nursery rhyme
Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot cross buns!