Orthodox Christians celebrate Passion or Good Friday. This day is the most mournful of all those that exist on Holy Week and the penultimate day of Lent. On Good Friday, Christians again and again remember the last earthly day of the life of Jesus Christ. In particular, in their memories they rely on the sufferings of the cross and death.
On Good Friday, it is prescribed to observe a very strict fast, up to complete abstinence from eating food. This is precisely the concept that church ministers adhere to exactly until the end of the service, which on Friday is of a special nature. IN Orthodox traditions preserved a large number of accepts and customs, as well as prohibitions that are relevant for Good Friday.
When in 2018 Good Friday
In 2018, Good Friday falls on April 6th. This is the day when the Passion of Christ is remembered. If we rely on the Gospel, then it was on this day that Jesus was put on trial, made the way of the cross to Golgotha, where he was crucified. On Good Friday, the earthly life of the Savior of mankind ended.
Worship on Good Friday
Special services begin on Maundy Thursday, which is also called Maundy Thursday. On this day in all Orthodox churches The service, which is called the Sequence of the 12 Gospels, ends. During this process, believers stand in the temple with lit candles. During the service, twelve passages from the Gospel are read, which are dedicated to the suffering, torment of the cross and death of Christ.
In total, three services are held on Good Friday. In the morning the Hours are served, then, as on Maundy Thursday, the Gospel of the Passion of Christ is read. In the afternoon they serve vespers with the rite of removing the shroud. Then follows the evening service, which is called Matins of Great Saturday with the rite of burial of the Shroud.
Good Friday 2018: what to do
Good Friday is the most strict day of Holy Week of Great Lent. According to ancient legends, on this day it is better to completely give up food, allowing yourself some bread with cold water. This should happen in the evening - after the ceremony of removing the Shroud takes place.
Good Friday has always been especially revered in the folk Christian tradition. A large number of traditions and customs have been preserved to this day and are observed by true Christian believers.
For example, in villages in Rus' throughout Holy Week peasants burned bonfires on high hillocks, which paid tribute to the memory of the god of fire Perun to protect the fields from evil spirits and all kinds of evil spirits. People tried to drive away evil spirits with loud screams and noises. They also specially drove horses around the village in order to scare away evil spirits with horse stomping. Brooms and whips were used to protect against the “evil one,” which were taken into the hands of a variety of segments of the population. In the other hand they held lit candles or a torch.
If we rely on the later Christian tradition, then after reading the 12 Gospels in churches, believers preferred to carry lit candles home to save their home from evil spirits. They placed splinters next to the icons.
On Good Friday there are a large number of prohibitions that apply to all Orthodox Christians. The following prohibitions have survived to this day:
- On this day it is not customary to do anything around the house. According to legend, a good housewife should finish all her chores in Maundy Thursday, and before Easter there should be no housework.
- In memory of the incredible torment of Christ that he endured, it was believed that on Good Friday one should not pierce the ground with iron, since this is a great sin that leads to troubles. Simply put, on Friday it was impossible to harrow, plow, and the like.
- On Good Friday, any fun is prohibited. In particular, it was forbidden to laugh loudly, talk, walk or sing. Those who decide to break this tradition, according to ancient legend, will be tearful all year.
- Also on Friday, women were not allowed to sew, cut or wash, while men were prohibited from chopping wood, as well as all work with an ax and any other metal equipment.
Good Friday 2018: signs and customs
On Good Friday, it was customary to observe a large number of customs, while people built their future on the basis of signs. The following have survived to this day:
- According to an ancient superstition, on Good Friday you can find out if there are “charmed” things in the house. To do this, you should go around all the rooms with lit candles. And if it starts to crack, it means there is a “charmed” object nearby that you need to get rid of as quickly as possible.
- It is believed that the ring, which is consecrated on Good Friday, protects against various diseases.
- The folk calendar indicates that if on Good Friday the night is starry and the morning is clear, then a good harvest can be expected from wheat, while if the morning is cloudy, then the field will be overgrown with weeds.
- Despite the fact that it was not customary to work on Good Friday, there is a belief that parsley or cabbage sown on this day gives a double harvest.
- It was believed that bread or Easter cake baked on Good Friday never becomes moldy and generally has healing properties. Such a cake was stored for a whole year, and sometimes even used as a remedy for illnesses.
- Good Friday, according to ancient belief, is considered a great day for weaning babies. In this case, children grow up healthy, strong and happy.
Today, April 6, is Good Friday 2018. He will tell you what rules of conduct are required of believers on this day, what you can and cannot do. tochka.net .
READ ALSO:
Good Friday 2018: what date is this day
Great Good Friday in 2018 falls on today, April 6th. This is the last Friday of Lent. As church traditions and folk signs say, Good Friday is, first of all, a day of repentance, prayer and reflection on one’s own life.
Good Friday: As celebrated in Orthodox Christianity
Good Friday is the most mournful day in the Christian year, since it was on this day that Jesus Christ was crucified and accepted martyrdom for the sake of the salvation of the entire human race. Good Friday is dedicated to remembering the suffering and death of the Savior. On this day of mourning, priests’ attire should not be light and festive.
There is no liturgy in church on Good Friday. During Vespers, which begins at about three o'clock in the afternoon - at the hour of Christ's death - a shroud with the image of Jesus taken from the cross is taken out of the altar, and is used to cover the table standing in the middle of the temple. Then prayers are read over the shroud, decorated with flowers, candles are lit and parishioners kiss the image of the Savior. This ritual symbolizes the removal from the cross, the position in the tomb and farewell to Jesus Christ.
READ ALSO:
What not to do on Good Friday: church traditions
You can't work on this day. You cannot sew, wash, cut, clean, dig, plant, cook, or even swim. These prohibitions are imposed on believers not because of laziness, but because of the need to devote time in the family to prayer and reading the Bible.
On Good Friday you cannot sing, have fun, laugh and lead an active, riotous lifestyle, as well as quarrel, shout and swear. This day should be spent thinking about own life, in reflections on the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
You can't eat food. Good Friday is the strictest day of Lent. Abstinence from food should last until the church service of Vespers and the removal of the shroud. After this, it is allowed to consume bread and water, and some believers continue to fast until Easter.
There is an opinion that pregnant women should not attend church on Good Friday. In fact, there is no such ban. A pregnant woman should rely only on her feelings and not do anything through force or against her will. If she wants to visit the temple and pray, then she can and even needs to do this, regardless of the time and date. On later During pregnancy, it is advisable not to walk alone, but accompanied by someone close to her, so that she can count on their help if necessary.
Good Friday should not pass by as an ordinary, unnoticed day. Every believer should especially keenly try to feel and think about the main thing in his life. Is he going against his conscience when he puts the desire for wealth, profit and a successful career at the top of his priorities instead of mercy and philanthropy? Is he looking around for enemies whom he seeks to condemn? Is he not becoming like the example of those who betrayed Christ to death?
READ ALSO:
What not to do on Good Friday: popular beliefs
The people believed that from the moment the body of Jesus Christ was placed in the tomb until the moment of His resurrection, all devilry possesses special power and feels his impunity, so he comes into our world, wanders the earth, scares the righteous inhabitants.
By popular belief If at this time a person sees something terrible, he must say three times: “May God rise again, and let His enemies be scattered,” in order to protect himself from evil spirits.
Also, you cannot fall asleep while reading the holy scriptures, otherwise the evil spirit will carry you to hell.
On this day you cannot do work, especially sewing, washing, digging, sticking sticks into the ground and hammering nails.
On Good Friday you cannot laugh and rejoice. Whoever laughs on this day will cry all year.
Let's remember that we previously talked about traditions and prohibitions of Holy Week in 2018. Read more at.
The strictest day of Holy Week in 2017 will be Friday. This day is marked by the terrible news of the crucifixion of Christ. On April 14, all Orthodox Christians gather in churches and temples for prayers glorifying the Savior and his sacrifice for those living on earth.
Good Friday is a time of strict abstinence and prohibitions. On this day, there is a lot of advice to ensure that our actions are aimed only at good and do not lead to disastrous consequences.
What to do on April 14
First of all, Orthodox Christians go to worship. After the end of the service, they take home the twelve candles with which they stood during the celebration. They symbolize 12 passages from the Gospel. Candles are placed throughout the house and lit to cleanse the room of negativity and accumulation of negative energy. To identify “bad” places and things in your apartment, you need to take a candle and walk around all the rooms with it. Where the candle begins to crackle, negative energy most. The candles are not extinguished, but left to burn out.On Good Friday, housewives baked fresh bread. According to popular belief, it does not become stale or moldy and can cure diseases. They also baked a special cross bun, which protected the house until the next Good Friday. Patience and humility on this day are rewarded a hundredfold. It was believed that if you endure thirst on Good Friday, you can attract good luck and prosperity for the whole year.
What not to do on Good Friday
The ban applies to any agricultural work: what is planted on this day will not produce a harvest. There is a high probability that the sprouts will die. The exception is parsley: planted on this day, it will bring big harvest.Do not do housework, sewing, knitting, washing - anything that involves labor. These cases end on Maundy Thursday. Traditionally, people try not to touch metal objects on this day. sharp objects: Even the bread is not cut, but broken by hand.
Friday is a day of mourning, so the church prohibits entertainment, singing, dancing and having fun in other ways.
Working on a computer and watching television programs also have a negative impact on believers. The exception is films and programs with spiritual themes.
On Good Friday it is necessary to observe a particularly strict fast. Eating is possible only after the ceremonial removal of the Shroud - the canvas on which full height depicts the buried Jesus Christ.
Every day of Holy Week is worth spending in preparation for Happy Easter. Spiritual growth through prayers he helps everyone to free themselves from their sins and take the righteous path. At this time, try to give love and attention to your loved ones, and show concern for those in need. Alms given voluntarily during this period also exalt the soul of a person.
Friday during Holy Week (week) of Lent is the strictest day when it is advisable for a believer to abstain from food altogether. Or eat only a little bread and water, and then only in the evening, after the rite of removing the Shroud has been completed. Yes, it was on Friday that Jesus was crucified. And many prohibitions and rituals are associated with this day in Christianity. What can and cannot be done on Good Friday?
Friday before Easter: what you can and cannot do on this day
Despite the widespread belief that Easter cakes and Easter cakes should be baked exclusively on, or at least on, Holy Saturday, bread can and should be baked on Friday. They had healing properties and lasted throughout the next year. If a person or animal fell ill in the house, he was given a piece of such bread. They believed that paskas and bread baked on the Friday before Easter do not become stale or moldy. If the ring was consecrated on this day, then it also had protective qualities and reliably guarded its wearer.
The traditions of Good Friday are very closely intertwined with pagan rituals Slavic peoples. On this day, bonfires were burned on the high hills in honor of Perun, which guaranteed deliverance from evil spirits. People scared away the evil spirits with shouts and fire, and then rode on horseback through all the courtyards, waving axes, whips and lit splinters.
These same “lit splinters” are woven into church ceremonies. They tried to bring the candle lit at the service on Friday home safe and sound, without extinguishing it. And then they walked around the house, going clockwise, after which they set it to burn out in front of the household icons.
On Friday, any work related to the ground was prohibited. However, there is a belief that greens sown on this day will yield the largest harvest. So, parsley, dill or lettuce can and should be planted.
Interestingly, popular rumor associated Good Friday with breastfeeding, or rather, with its completion. It was believed that if you wean a baby from the breast today, he will grow up healthy, strong and be a happy person.
According to folk signs, Friday night foreshadowed a good harvest if it was starry. But the cloudy morning said that the field would be overgrown with grass.
Good Friday is the last Friday of Lent, which takes place for 48 days before Easter. This is the strictest and most mournful day, when it is necessary to fulfill many prohibitions.
Before we talk about what you should not do on Good Friday, you need to remember what you must do on this day. Good Friday is the last Friday of Lent, which lasted 48 days. On this day, believers remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. On this day, it is necessary to observe strict fasting and not eat until the Shroud is taken out. After this, in the evening, you can only eat bread and water.
It is important! The Shroud represents a plate big size, which depicts Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. The Shroud of Jesus Christ is subsequently used during services not only on Good Friday, but also on Holy Saturday. But the Shroud of the Virgin is used during the service of the Assumption. 
Good Friday, what you can’t do is any housework, the day before this Friday was Maundy Thursday, when you had to spend it at home general cleaning and wash and wash everything thoroughly. After all, you cannot clean up after Maundy Thursday for at least six days.
If possible, you should try to work less on Good Friday. Of course, in modern world this, rather, concerns not the main work for hire, namely land work. Bad omen On this day it is considered to stick iron objects into the ground, such as rakes and shovels. Because this can easily bring trouble to a person.
Sewing, washing, cutting - this is another list of things that cannot be done on Good Friday. Chopping wood is considered a particularly great sin. On this mournful day, one must refrain from having fun, not singing, not walking or visiting. People believed that anyone who violates this prohibition will then cry throughout the year. 
Note! You can't sing on Good Friday. Including singing divine songs.
Other signs and prohibitions on Good Friday:
* It is believed that a loaf of bread baked on this day has the ability to heal illnesses. It will never get moldy;
* Blacksmiths were forbidden to forge nails and hammers in memory of what these tools were used many centuries ago;
* Under no circumstances should you pierce the ground with iron on this day, because whoever does this will face great trouble;
* It is believed that if you wash your clothes on this day (which you cannot do), then during drying bloody spots will appear on it;
*Bees can be transported any day of the year except this one. Because if you transport on Good Friday, the bees will definitely die;
* If you do not endure thirst in memory of the torment and thirst of Jesus on the cross, then throughout the whole year not a single drink will allow you to get enough of it and be satisfied; 
This is information about what not to do on Good Friday. But you should also remember that housewives can start cooking in the evening of this day, after taking out the Shroud (somewhere after 16.00). Easter cakes. When the dough begins to rise, ancient Ukrainian customs require that no one be in the kitchen. Then, during the cooking process, the hostess can speak to the cake for health, wealth and good luck.
From the moment the housewife bakes the first Easter cake, which is best done on Maundy Thursday or, if you don’t have time, then on the evening of Good Friday, until Easter you can no longer borrow anything from the house. The list is quite impressive, but this is the most mournful day of the year, when you must try to observe all the prohibitions.