What to do on Good Friday. What not to do on Good Friday before Easter

Good Friday in Orthodox faith is considered the most mournful day throughout the entire church year. According to scriptures, it was on this day that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross in agony. Every year the date of Good Friday is different. After all, this day directly depends on when exactly Easter comes.

Good Friday 2018, what date the Orthodox will have, depends on the date of Easter. Easter will be quite early this year, falling on April 8th. Accordingly, if you look at the calendar, it is not difficult to understand that Good Friday will be on April 6th. On this day you need to abstain from any work and be sure to go to temple. Let us once again emphasize the fact that this is the saddest day of the year.

Also, Good Friday is the penultimate day of Lent. On this day, in churches at services, and even in prayers at home, the passion of Christ, his painful death on the cross. Also on this day, the body was taken down from the cross and buried in a cave. April 6th is exact date When is Good Friday in 2018?

Preparing for Good Friday

IN Maundy Thursday, the day that precedes the described Friday, you need to complete general cleaning of the house. It is important to do this on Thursday, because Good Friday all economic activities will already be under strict prohibition. Moreover, it is no longer possible to clean up from Good Friday until the second week after Easter.

Also on Good Friday you need to stop preparing the festive Easter table. If on Thursday housewives can calmly paint eggs, put dough on Easter cakes, put Easter cottage cheese, jellied meat and aspic, then on Friday they must refuse any work in the kitchen.

Perform any homework. It has already been noted that you cannot clean and cook on this day, you also cannot sew or do laundry. The Church considers all these actions on the holiday to be a great sin.
You cannot work with the soil on Good Friday: dripping, planting, or even watering. It is believed that everything sown on this day will yield absolutely no harvest.
Stop drinking alcohol completely. Actually, it's going Lent when alcohol has long been banned. But even if a person does not fast, then on Good Friday one must definitely abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages so as not to become an alcoholic.
Any carnal pleasures are prohibited. If children were conceived on this day, people said they would be born sick and could become criminals in their future.
You should also avoid cutting and coloring your hair. In general, on Good Friday you should not go to a beauty salon for any reason.
Of course, you need to refrain from entertainment activities: even watching TV.

What do you do on Good Friday?

We have already noted exactly what you should not do on this important and mournful day before Easter. Now, of course, we need to note those things that are welcomed on this day.

You should try to spend this day in peace and quiet, pray a lot, remember the torment of Jesus Christ, which he accepted in the name of all mankind. You should definitely go to church on this day, ideally for morning and evening services. The evening service is important, during which the Shroud is brought to the center of the temple. This is a piece of fabric that depicts Jesus Christ in full height. The shroud is located in the center of the temple on a hill, decorated with flowers, and the Gospel is placed on top of it. Evening service ends before the Shroud.

Important! During the church service in front of the Shroud, it is important to stand with your head bowed and bow low during the substitution of the cross. You should also venerate the Shroud at the end of the service.

What to eat on Good Friday?

April 6th is the date of Good Friday 2018. It should also be noted that this is one of the strictest days of Lent. On this day, church canons prescribe complete abstinence from food throughout the day. With the appearance of the first star in the sky, you can eat some bread and drink some water.

Important! Such strict dietary regulations are mandatory for clergy. As for the laity, the usual strict fast can be observed. For example, eat twice a day, not three.

Signs and customs of Good Friday:

People believed that if for three years in a row on Good Friday one adheres strictly to fasting and abstains from food and drink, then a person will be able to see his death hour three days before death. Many wanted this in order to properly prepare for their death
People also said that if you completely abstain from food on Good Friday, then God will forgive all sins (starting from the last confession).
After the service in the temple, you need to buy and light a light. Do not put out the candle and go home with it, put it in the red corner. Now, spending time in prayer, wait until the candle burns out completely. It is believed that such a ritual provides happiness and prosperity to the home for the whole year.
You can walk around the house with a lit candle that you brought from the temple. If somewhere a candle starts to smoke or crackle, there is something with bad energy there: it is recommended to get rid of it.
Even though church tradition only has a negative attitude towards magical actions and rituals, it is believed that conspiracies that are read on Good Friday have strong effect and are protected for a whole year.

If you know exactly how calculations are carried out and what kind of day it is, then in subsequent years it will not be difficult to independently determine the date of this day. You just need to count back two days from the date of Easter; this year it falls on April 6, provided that Orthodox believers celebrate Easter on April 8.

About the symbols of Good Friday

If we talk about figurative symbols, then, of course, first of all we are talking about the transition from earthly life to eternal life, which exists outside the body. The material symbol of this day is the Shroud. We have already discussed how much attention is paid to it in this material. It is believed that in Turin they bring into the temple exactly the Shroud that was wrapped around the body of Christ after it was taken down from the cross. Therefore, many pilgrims go on Good Friday precisely.

In conclusion of this material, I would like to remind you that Good Friday is the most mournful day of the year. This is the last day of the life of the Son of God, the Savior of mankind Jesus Christ on earth. The laity know what happened next and what exactly they celebrate on Easter Sunday. But on Good Friday, attention is paid precisely to those events that historically took place on this day.

What you can and cannot do on Good Friday, what signs and traditions are on this day, and much more, read in the material.

On the last Friday before Easter, Orthodox believers around the world celebrate a mournful date - Great or Good Friday. This year the day falls on April 6th.

This is the most mournful day in Christian year. It is always celebrated two days before the Bright Resurrection of the Lord or Easter. Jesus Christ accepted on this day martyrdom on the cross for human sins. Good Friday is considered a day of mourning and even the vestments of priests today should not be light.

The story of Good Friday revolves around the biblical events when Judas betrayed Jesus Christ and the savior was accused of sedition and sedition.

Despite the fact that the procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate, understood that this was a libel, he pronounced a cruel sentence, and Jesus himself carried his cross to the place of crucifixion. Together with him, two robbers were crucified on crosses.

Believers did not yet know that the Savior would resurrect, so Good Friday services are dedicated to the suffering that Jesus went through in the last hours of his life on Earth.

What not to do on Good Friday

Absolutely all sincere believers do not eat anything at all until the removal of the shroud. And immediately returning from church, friendly family sits down at the dining table to eat food.

It is important to note the fact that dinner on Good Friday is a fast one; you should not even eat fish on this day. On Good Friday, fasting is extremely strict. Products that can be eaten on a given day are: vegetables, fruits, lean bread. All food must be eaten even without vegetable oil.

In order to protect yourself from poisons, you don’t need to drink anything throughout the day of Good Friday.

Any household chores should be postponed until another day, since it is on Good Friday that nothing can be done.

It is important to note that on Good Friday there is a special ban on sewing.

You also cannot do laundry on Good Friday, even if you use a washing machine. There is a special belief that if you wash something on Good Friday and hang it out to dry, it will in any case become covered with drops of blood.

Also, it is absolutely not worth chopping wood on Good Friday, as this is bad omen have a great day.

You cannot sing, dance, walk, have fun, laugh, drink alcohol, quarrel or swear on Good Friday. It was always said that a person who had fun on Good Friday would be very sad, cry and suffer throughout the next year.

You cannot violate the integrity of the earth on Good Friday, because grief may happen. Anything planted on Good Friday will be lost.
Those who follow the strictest rules of the Great Pre-Easter Lent, on this day they don’t even wash. Violation of these prohibitions is considered a great sin.

You cannot stick iron objects, such as shovels and rakes, into the ground on Good Friday: this will lead to disaster. Only parsley sown on Good Friday will give a double harvest.

Good Friday: what you can do

All preparations for the Easter holiday must be completed on Maundy Thursday, so that on Good Friday nothing distracts from prayers and services.

Housewives were only allowed to bake Easter cakes and plant cabbage. On Good Friday you can and even need to bake Easter cakes. They say that Easter baked today will never spoil or become moldy. Easter cake baked on Holy Week can heal from any illness and protect from bad weather and fire.

To receive a strong amulet, you need to consecrate the ring today.

People believe that parsley sown on Good Friday will give a rich harvest, unlike other plants that cannot be planted on Good Friday.

What can you eat on this day?

On this day of sorrow, strict fasting or even refusal of food is observed. Drinking alcohol is prohibited. When the first star appears in the sky, you can eat some bread and drink water.

Good Friday should not be an ordinary day for Christians. At this time, it is better to think about your life and remember the suffering of the Savior. Every believer should think about what things are most important in his life.

Signs for Good Friday

It is believed that anyone who abstains from food on Good Friday for three years in a row will see his impending demise three days before his death.

According to another belief, those who do not eat on Good Friday are forgiven by God of all sins.

If after the service on Good Friday you bring a candle into your home and light it in the Red Corner, your family and friends will be healthy.

People believed that from the moment the body of Jesus Christ was laid in the tomb until the moment of his resurrection, evil spirits has particularly strong power and feels impunity. She comes into the world and scares righteous people. If a person sees something passionate on this day, he must say three times: “May God rise again and smite him,” which is believed to protect him from evil forces.

Good Friday is the most strict day of Holy Week, and at the same time the saddest. Find out what you can do on this day, what you can’t do, as well as the signs of Good Friday according to customs.

Good Friday precedes the Easter holiday and is dedicated to the remembrance of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. This is the day itself strict fasting. This year Good Friday falls on April 6th.

Friday is the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Therefore, Good Friday is dedicated to the remembrance of the trial of Jesus Christ, his crucifixion and death on the cross on Golgotha, the removal of His body from the cross and burial. The Good Friday service includes three readings of the Gospel account of these events.

At Matins, the Twelve Gospels are read sequentially - twelve Gospel passages, which in chronological order tell about the events of Friday. At the Great (Royal) Hours, the narratives of each of the four evangelists (Matthew, John, Luke and Mark) are read separately. And on Great Vespers The events of this day are narrated in one long, composite gospel.

Good Friday is an exceptional day, and its exclusivity (like the exclusivity of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary) is emphasized by the fact that the liturgy is not celebrated on this day. However, if Good Friday coincides with the Annunciation, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is served. At Vespers, a special canon is sung about the crucifixion of the Lord and the shroud is brought out.

The Shroud is a cloth on which the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted in full size, lying in the tomb. After removal, the Shroud is installed on a special elevation in the center of the temple. It is customary to anoint it with incense and decorate it with flowers in memory of how the myrrh-bearing women anointed the Body of the buried Christ with incense.

Good Friday is a special day on which, according to the rules, one must abstain from eating until the Shroud is taken out, and after that one can only eat bread and drink only water. All preparations for the Easter holiday must be completed on Maundy Thursday, so that on Good Friday nothing distracts from prayers and services. On this day you cannot do any household chores, especially sewing, washing or cutting anything. Violation of this prohibition is considered a great sin. Those who follow the strictest rules of Lent do not even wash on this day.

On Good Friday it is not customary to sing, walk and have fun - it is believed that a person who had fun on Good Friday will cry for the whole year. However, despite the fact that the service on this day is permeated with sorrow, it is already preparing believers for the upcoming holiday of the Resurrection of Christ.

In the popular consciousness, Good Friday is associated with a number of signs and superstitions. It is believed, for example, that bread baked on this day will never become moldy and will heal from all diseases. Sailors considered bread baked on Good Friday to be a talisman against shipwrecks. And a hot cross bun baked on this day will protect the house from fires until next Good Friday.

In Rus', on this day, wealthier neighbors treated their loved ones and acquaintances, who could not afford it, with festive baked goods, milk, eggs, and cottage cheese.
It is highly undesirable to work on Good Friday. So, according to the superstition, you cannot stick iron objects into the ground, for example, shovels and rakes: this will lead to trouble. Therefore, plants planted on this day will die. Only parsley sown on Good Friday will yield a double harvest. Clothes washed by the housewife and hung out to dry on Friday will never become clean: bloody stains will appear on the linen.

After Friday service, it is customary to bring into the house twelve burning candles with which they stood in church. Candles should be placed in the house and allowed to burn out until the end. It is believed that this will bring happiness and prosperity to the home for the next twelve months.

Of course, many signs came from paganism, and not from Christianity, and some of them even contradict Christian traditions. But to believe in omens or not is a personal choice for each person. Good Friday is another reason to pause in our busy lives and think: is this how we live?

Signs of Good Friday:
A loaf of bread baked on Good Friday cures all illnesses and never goes moldy.
On Good Friday, under no circumstances should you pierce the ground with iron; whoever does this will be in trouble.
If washed clothes are hung out to dry on Good Friday, blood stains will appear on them.
If bees are transported on any day other than Good Friday, they will certainly die.
If you are thirsty on Good Friday, no drink will harm you for a whole year.
Rings blessed on Good Friday protect the wearer from all illnesses.
Easter baked goods saved from one Good Friday to the next prevent whooping cough.
Only parsley sown on Good Friday gives a double harvest.
Weaning babies on Good Friday is a sign that the baby will be strong, healthy and will live happily
If it is cloudy on Good Friday, then the bread will be covered with weeds.
If the sky is starry on Good Friday, then the wheat will be grainy.
In addition, on Good Friday they determined whether there were any spoken things in the house: on this day, they took from the church an unburned candle that was in their hands during the service, brought it home, lit it and walked through the rooms. It is believed that where it crackles, there is a damaged item.

The last Friday before Easter is called Holy Friday because it was on this day that the traitors crucified Jesus Christ. Of course, all Christians treat this memorable date with great respect and even trepidation.

Over the centuries, Good Friday has acquired quite a few interesting folk signs and beliefs. They are remembered today and used before Easter so that all next year was happy and full. Let us remind you that in 2018 Good Friday is celebrated on April 6th.

Folk signs and beliefs
Conspiracies for Good Friday
Birthday on Good Friday - signs
Signs on Holy Saturday before Easter
What not to do on Good Friday and Saturday
Lent on Good Friday: what you can eat
Signs and customs of the Friday before Easter: video

As for the popular signs of Good Friday, they have survived even to this day:

If on this day you bake a loaf of bread (including Easter cake), it will not become moldy for many days. And besides, it can also charge a person with healing energy that saves from various diseases.
If you go to church on Good Friday and bless a silver ring, it will serve as an amulet against accidents and help protect your health.
On this day you should not pierce the ground with iron (shovel, pitchfork, etc.) - it is believed that this is a great sin and a bad sign. Those who take such risks may incur adverse consequences (including wounds and blood).
On this day, it is better for women to postpone some household chores. So, you don’t need to sew, knit, clean the house, or do laundry. It is also better to refrain from cutting hair and beauty.
If the baby is already approaching the age when it is customary to wean, it is necessary to do this on Good Friday. Then the child will grow up strong and healthy.
And there is also interesting observation: if on Friday night it is so clear that you can see the entire starry sky, then this year’s harvest will be good and the wheat will be grainy.
A dream from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday predicts the future. Usually such a dream is filled with accurate predictions.
On Good Friday, after the church service, you need to bring home 12 burning candles, which are not allowed to burn out completely. According to legend, such Friday candles bring prosperity and happiness to the house where they are kept.

On the special day of Good Friday, a special spell is read to improve the health of those suffering from depression. To do this you need to take three Easter colored eggs, lower into the water, At this time you need to read a special plot:

Strengthen my faithful words, Lord, strengthen, Christ, the servant of God (name). How people rejoice Happy Easter, so let the servant of God (name) be glad of life. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen.

The patient must then wash himself with this enchanted water.

It is also believed that on Holy Week You can perform rituals to get rid of drunkenness and alcoholism. It is on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday that they have special power.

So what you need to do:

Ashes are taken from the oven on Good Friday.
the ash is taken out of the house and dumped at an intersection where there are no cars..
At the same time, the plot is read three times:

Just as this ash will not sprout, and the sprouts will not produce petals, and the petals will not produce fruit, so the slave (name) will not take wine into his mouth: neither on Sunday, nor on Saturday, nor on Friday, nor on Thursday, nor on Wednesday, nor on Tuesday, and not on Monday. Amen. Just as this ash does not fill with a spring, does not sing like a nightingale, so the slave (name) will not drink green wine. Amen.

Just as this ash will not farrow or whelp, so the slave (name) will say goodbye to wine forever. He will not drink: neither on Sunday, nor on Saturday, nor on Friday, nor on Thursday, nor on Wednesday, nor on Tuesday, nor on Monday, nor on weekdays, nor on Holy Days. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Amen.

On Good Friday, it will be useful for women and girls to learn about a special ritual and conspiracy to strengthen peace and harmony in the family. What you need to do for this:

On Good Friday you need to bake a small loaf of bread.
Say the words of the spell over the bread (read below).
Then divide the bread in half. One half must be eaten by the one who performs the ritual.
The other half of the kolobok should be kept behind the icons all year round.

Lord, save, preserve, defend. Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Sometimes parents worry: what fate awaits a child born during Holy Week, and especially on Good Friday?

In the old days it was believed that if a child was born on Good Friday, then he certainly had to be taken to his grandmother - so that she would reprimand him from future troubles and from a difficult fate.
There is no need to worry about this today: the tragedy of this day will in no way affect the fate of the baby.
By the way, church representatives have their own opinion on this matter. The troubles that will happen in the life of a child born on Good Friday will ultimately turn into great joy.
But if your birthday falls on Good Friday, then it is better to postpone the lavish celebrations and congratulations, or celebrate as modestly as possible.

In fact, Friday smoothly turns into Saturday, and both of these days on the eve of Easter Sunday have a very similar atmosphere. Late on Friday evening, the body of Jesus Christ was taken down from the cross, and throughout Saturday it lay in the tomb. Therefore, this day is also called quiet: of course, it is strictly forbidden to make noise, have fun, and especially conflict.

And most importantly, the people have developed a tradition that is in many ways similar to Forgiveness Sunday(last day before the onset of Lent). It is customary to simply ask for forgiveness and make peace with those people with whom you may have disagreements.

Let it be a temporary and even a very modest compromise. But any business begins with the first decision, just as a road of a thousand miles begins with the first step.

Of course, signs before Easter, as well as popular beliefs, call us to take some action or, at a minimum, to observe nature. On the other hand, it is useful for a believer to know what cannot be done on Good Friday, so that a clear picture of the rules can be formed.

Here's what you should pay attention to first:

Obviously, on Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Bright Resurrection itself, you shouldn’t get irritated, swear, and therefore don’t need to start a showdown. There are other days for this - why then darken the memory of Christ and the Easter holiday?
You should not drink alcohol or take part in feasts or parties.
Spouses are advised to refrain from mutual pleasures. Strictly prohibited intimacy no, but it is intuitively clear that memories of Jesus Christ and participation in his suffering do not imply carnal pleasures and lovemaking.
Of course, it is worth excluding any idle talk, gossip, empty news, gossip, lengthy discussions, jokes. It is clear that Good Friday is a day of remembrance and mourning for Jesus. And any lively communication can simply dispel the atmosphere of sacred veneration of the deceased Savior.

Finally, those who observe Lent know that on Good Friday it is forbidden to consume any food until the removal of the shroud from the temple (this happens around 15:00, i.e. after lunch). And after that you can only eat any bread (but not sweet pastries) and drink water throughout the day.

This ban lasts until Sunday night, when after the service the believers joyfully exclaim with the news: “Christ is risen! Truly risen!”

Of course, such a strict ban does not apply to people with poor health, children, the elderly, as well as those who work physically and may simply lose strength from starvation. Comments on this issue can be heard from representatives of the Orthodox Church:

Thus, folk signs and the customs on Good Friday and Holy Saturday before Easter are directly related to the events that occurred on these days 2 thousand years ago.

Of course, whether to trust these popular ideas or not is a personal matter for everyone. In any case, if a sign helps a person to sincerely believe in a miracle and tune in to a new bright wave of change, this is much better than not believing in anything and expecting nothing.

Good Friday, which is included in the most strict and mournful week of Lent, is also called Good Friday. This day received this name due to the fact that it was on Friday, somewhere around lunchtime, that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross. On Good Friday, Orthodox Christians around the world remember the events of this day.

There are actually many prohibitions and they affect different areas human life.

Pay attention! First of all, it is necessary to emphasize once again that on this day we need to pray and think about own life, remember not only the suffering of Christ, but also why he went through this suffering.

What every believer should know about Good Friday

In 2019, this Friday falls on April 26th. - This is the most mournful day in the Christian year and it always falls two days before the Bright Resurrection of the Lord or Easter. On this day, Jesus Christ accepted martyrdom on the cross for human sins. This is a day of mourning and even the vestments of priests should not be light.

Good Friday, what should you not do on this day? There are no liturgies held in churches. During Vespers, which begins at the hour of Christ's death - at three o'clock in the afternoon, the Shroud with the image of Jesus Christ taken from the cross is brought out of the altar. The shroud covers the table that stands in the middle of the temple. Then prayers are read, the place is decorated with flowers, and candles are lit. This ritual symbolizes the removal of Jesus from the cross and his placement in the tomb. This is farewell to the body of Jesus Christ.

Good Friday 2019, what not to do

You cannot work on this day of mourning. Of course, this does not mean that all believers should take time off from work. But the work that can be limited or not done is better postponed to another time. Also on this day it is forbidden to sew, clean, or do laundry. There are even popular belief, that if you wash clothes on Good Friday, then when they dry, bloody stains will appear on them.

On this day you also cannot work in the garden, plant plants or swim. A special prohibition applies to sticking iron equipment, such as rakes or shovels, into the ground. If a person violates the ban, then great misfortune awaits him. All these prohibitions exist not for relaxation, but so that a believer has time that he should spend with his family reading the Bible on the eve of the holiday.

Good Friday, what you can't do in 2019 is still sing and laugh, lead an active lifestyle and just have fun. You should also not quarrel, shout at each other or swear. The day should be spent reflecting on the suffering of Jesus Christ.

Before the Shroud is taken out, believers do not eat or even drink. In the evening it is allowed to eat bread and drink water, but many people prefer to refuse food altogether on this day. Some continue to abstain from food until Sunday, but church customs, even the strictest, do not insist on this.

Good Friday should not become an ordinary ordinary day; at this time we must think about our life and remember the suffering of the Savior. Every believer should think about what things are most important in his life.

Folk signs about what not to do on Good Friday

The people believed that from the moment when the body of Christ was placed in the tomb until the moment of his resurrection, evil spirits had especially strong power and felt impunity. She comes into the world and scares righteous people. If a person sees something passionate on this day, he must say three times: “May God rise again and be wasted against him.” This will protect you from evil forces. You cannot fall asleep while reading the holy scriptures, because an unclean spirit can take you to hell.

But we must not just spend this day, but pray and remember the suffering of Jesus Christ, which he accepted in order to save humanity from sins.