What can and cannot be done on Good Friday? Good Friday: what you can and cannot do on this day

Time is dedicated to mournful and sad memories of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Exactly at this period the strictest fast is observed.

What kind of day is this? Good Friday? What can't be done and what can you do? What signs should be observed on this day and what its history is, we will consider in our article.

A little history

As the Bible says, it was on this day that Jesus Christ appeared before the highest religious court - the Sanhedrin for his righteous deeds. The verdict is execution. However, without support, the court could not carry out its plans. By turning to him, the officials hoped that the Jewish prosecutor would support them. However, he did not consider it necessary to execute Jesus on the eve of Easter. The crowd had its say, angrily insisting on the release of the criminal Barabbas, and not the righteous Jesus. In this regard, Pontius had no choice but to agree with the Sanhedrin officials and agree to the execution. As a sign of his innocence, he demonstratively washed his hands.

On the same day, Jesus was given several dozen blows with a whip, and then forced to carry a heavy wooden cross to Golgotha, where his crucifixion took place.

One of Christ’s disciples asked Pontius to give him the body of the murdered man. He took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. This is how the day called Good Friday was born.

What not to do on this mournful day

All beliefs, customs and signs are connected specifically with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Everything on this day should be associated with sorrow and suffering, with torment and torment.

So what should you not do on Good Friday before Easter? Under no circumstances should you practice. There is a specially designated day for this - Maundy Thursday, in which people are supposed to do different jobs. Especially on Good Friday you can't do laundry.

They say that it is during this period that red spots resembling blood may appear during washing. You should also not cut, dig, plant or pierce the ground.

People who were planning a celebration, wedding, or entertainment for this day should better postpone the fun until later. favorable time because this is a huge sin. What else can Good Friday tell us? What should you not do on this day? There is no need to talk loudly or laugh. After all, this period is associated with grief and sadness.

From Thursday evening you should not eat food, and you should also refrain from drinking. It is believed that if you do not drink water on this day, then any liquid will benefit your health throughout the year.

If you are interested in the question of what you cannot do on Good Friday and Saturday, know: it is forbidden to transport bees, otherwise the likelihood that they will all die is quite high.

What to do on Good Friday

Many believe that this period is a time of prohibition. No. On this day, there are certain customs that will help with many problems. So, we figured out what you can’t do on Good Friday, but what can you do on this day?

During this period, it is allowed to plant parsley in the garden. It is believed that this herb is a plant of fortune tellers. It brings passion, love, understanding, as well as a good harvest.

If you dry parsley leaves and place them in bags, this will be an excellent protection against negative and magical influence during the whole year.

If you bake a muffin on Good Friday and store it until next Easter, you can cure whooping cough.

On this day, it is also customary to treat relatives, friends, acquaintances and even the poor with baked goods, cottage cheese, milk, eggs, do more good deeds and give alms.

Customs

What other activities does Good Friday involve? What can't be done and what can you do?

It is believed that it is on this day that the mother should wean the baby. The baby will be strong, healthy, happy, and protected from external influences throughout his life.

The next tradition is pagan. If you burn fires on the hills on this day, you can protect your crops from fires throughout the year. And the young people, who ride horses with torches and brooms throughout the village, scare away evil spirits.

There is a custom thanks to which you can free your home from negativity, failure and poverty. To do this, after the service you should purchase 12 candles and take them home. Light them there and let them burn to the end.

Try to defend the whole thing with a candle in your hands, and when finished, extinguish it and bring the rest home. Light it and go around the entire room, turning close attention for every subject. The thing over which the candle begins to crackle is enchanted. It is urgent to get rid of it.

If you are concerned about what you should not do on Good Friday and Saturday, remember: do not drink alcoholic drinks and do not indulge in physical pleasures, because this is a great sin. It is believed that people who drink heavily on such a day run the risk of becoming alcoholics for the rest of their lives.

There is a belief that a child conceived on Good Friday will be born sick. The peasants believed that if his health still failed him, then he was destined to become a murderer.

Many people are interested in: “What should you not do on Good Friday before Easter?” It is not allowed to spit on this day, otherwise a person risks becoming an outcast. It is also believed that all saints will turn away from him.

The peasants believed that if you wake up in the morning and look out the window without talking to anyone, you can find out your fate. For example, if a girl sees a bird, this means an acquaintance; for a guy, this is good news. If you see a dog first, it means unhappiness and sadness. If a cat appears, it means wealth and good luck. If a sick person passes by, it means illness or loss.

Signs

What else can Good Friday tell us? What not to do? The signs described below will help answer this question.

If the weather is cloudy on Good Friday, then the bread will grow with the weeds.

On this day starry sky? Wait good harvest.

If you laugh on Good Friday, you'll cry all year long

Ash taken from the oven on Good Friday will relieve alcoholism.

If on this day you wipe all the corners with a rag and hide it away from prying eyes, you can get rid of problems associated with the lower back. To do this, wrap it around the sore spot.

A cut piece of Easter cake, which is prepared for the Easter holiday, hidden behind the icons, will protect you from evil and the evil eye.

Easter cake will not go stale throughout the year.

Conclusion

Of course, this day seems creepy and scary to many. Don't panic! If you do everything correctly on Good Friday, you can not only ward off poverty and misfortune, but also invite good luck and prosperity. Happy easter!

The Good Friday Fast is the strictest day of Lent, which in 2019 began on March 11 and will last until April 27 inclusive. According to church canons, on this day you need to completely abstain from food.

Sputnik Georgia will tell you about the features church service on Good Friday, as well as what believers can and cannot do on this mournful day.

Church service

The service of Good (Red) Friday is entirely dedicated to the memories of the Savior's suffering on the cross - His crucifixion on Calvary, martyrdom, removal from the Cross and burial. These events are described in detail in all four Gospels.

On Good Friday, Matins is served in all churches, which is called the “Twelve Gospels.” The name "Matins" is symbolic, since the service begins at about eight o'clock in the evening and continues throughout the night.

Painting "Procession to Calvary". Artist Michel Sittov (1469-1525).

At Matins, in the middle of the temple, twelve Gospel readings are read, starting with the Savior’s last conversation with his disciples at the Last Supper and ending with His burial in the garden of Joseph of Arimathea and the placing of military guards at His tomb.

Believers, while reading the Gospel, stand with lighted candles, showing on the one hand that glory and greatness did not leave the Lord even during His suffering, and on the other hand, ardent love for their Savior.

On Good Friday, no Liturgy is served in any of the Christian denominations. The only exceptions are those years when Good Friday coincides with the Annunciation Holy Mother of God, which Orthodox Christians celebrate on April 7. On Good Friday the Royal Hours are celebrated.

Vespers is celebrated at the third hour of the day, when it is believed that Jesus died on the cross. At Vespers, a special canon is sung about the crucifixion of the Lord and the Shroud is brought out. This is a plate on which the Lord Jesus Christ is depicted in full height, lying in the tomb.

The Gospel is usually placed on the Shroud, and a censer is placed in front of it. It is customary to decorate the shroud with flowers in memory of how the body of the buried Jesus was anointed with incense by the myrrh-bearing wife.

Before the Shroud it is necessary to bow to the ground and venerate it. All services of Good Friday and Holy Saturday begin and end not in the altar, but in front of the Shroud.

The shroud is in the center of the temple for less than three days, symbolizing the three-day stay of Jesus Christ in the tomb. A few minutes before Easter procession she is carried back to the altar.

In the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta (the ancient capital of Georgia), where the greatest relic, the Shroud of Jesus Christ, is kept, a cross is placed in front of the altar and a special ritual is performed.

Red Friday is a day of sorrow and remembrance for all believers, when everything earthly and mortal loses its meaning. At the same time, this day is thoroughly permeated with the coming miracle of the Resurrection.

Do's and Don'ts

On Red Friday, believers must abstain from eating until the Shroud is taken out, until approximately 2-3 p.m. After this, you can only eat bread and drink water. Some even go hungry on this day.

In addition to strict restrictions on food, believers must renounce worldly concerns as much as possible, since they cannot work on this day. In many countries, Good Friday is a day off, including in Georgia.

Orthodox Christians deeply experience Good Friday as the most mournful and important day of the year. On this day they not only do not eat, but also do not work. Red Friday is officially declared a non-working day in Georgia, as in many other countries.

On Red Friday you cannot sew, spin, cut, saw or chop anything. It is forbidden to carry out agricultural work, and under no circumstances should you drive iron objects into the ground - apparently, by analogy with nailing a cross.

Therefore, all things need to be done on Maundy Thursday, and on Good Friday you need to go to service and pray. After the service, parishioners can take with them the twelve candles with which they stood in the temple. Light these candles in the house until they burn out, trying to cover all corners. This will cleanse the atmosphere in the house and attract good things.

On Good Friday you should avoid cutting, coloring your hair and doing anything else. cosmetic procedures. Those who stick strict rules Lent, on Friday they don’t even wash their face. On this day, nothing should distract from prayer and spiritual self-improvement.

Also, if someone’s birthday or anniversary falls on this sorrowful day, the celebration must be postponed, because having fun, singing, having fun and walking on the day of universal sorrow is prohibited. In the old days they said that whoever laughs on this day will cry all year.

According to ancient tradition, eggs were painted on one of the days of Holy Week - the week preceding the onset of the Bright Resurrection of Christ. It is recommended to practice this ritual on Maundy Thursday, when general cleaning of the house is carried out, Easter cakes are baked and other activities are carried out in preparation for the great holiday.

But in some countries, including Georgia, according to tradition, people paint eggs, which symbolize the shed blood of Jesus Christ, on Red Friday before sunset.

Before you start coloring the eggs, you need to read the “Our Father” and ask the Lord for a blessing. In addition to prayer, you should also arm yourself with a recipe on how to properly color eggs so that they do not crack during cooking and the color is uniform.

Signs, customs and traditions

On Good Friday you must refrain from drinking alcohol and carnal pleasures. People who get drunk on the day of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ risk becoming alcoholics. And children conceived on Good Friday are born sick or become violent criminals in the future.

On Good Friday you cannot spit on the ground - folk signs They say that whoever spits on the ground will turn away all the Saints for the whole year.

On Good Friday you can determine whether your home is damaged. To do this, with the remainder of the lit candle with which you defended the service, you need to go around the entire house or apartment room by room. Near the “damaged” item, the candle will crackle loudly and begin to emit black smoke.

It is undesirable to perform other rituals and conspiracies on Good Friday.

Easter cakes and any pastries baked on Good Friday will never become moldy. In the old days, a piece of such Easter cake was kept all year and given to a sick person to eat. Also, a piece of Easter cake can protect the house from fire if it is stored all year until next Easter behind the icons.

We have already said that on Good Friday you cannot dig the ground or plant anything. According to popular belief, if you sow wheat or plant anything on this day, there will be no harvest.

Doing laundry on Good Friday is also prohibited. There is a belief that if you wash clothes on this day and hang them out to dry, traces of blood will appear on them.

It is said that a person who completely abstains from food and water for the entire day will know in three days the time of his death.

In the old days, on Good Friday they determined what year was expected. To do this, waking up first thing in the morning, without talking to anyone, you had to look out the window. If you saw a bird first, then for a girl it means a new acquaintance, and for a guy it means good news.

If your gaze fell on a dog, such a sign foreshadowed sadness and sadness. Seeing a cat first on Good Friday means prosperity and a rich life. If you saw young guy or a man - you will be healthy all year, and a young girl - to prosperity.

Seeing a whole family meant living with all relatives in peace and harmony. Well, if your gaze fell on an old man, a disabled person or a sick person, then this, unfortunately, foreshadowed an illness or a major loss.

Sore legs and lower back can be treated with an ordinary rag, if on Good Friday you wipe all the corners in the house with it and put it away from prying eyes.

Stove ash taken on this day helps in the treatment of alcoholism, the evil eye and mortal melancholy.

Healers used the magic of this day for many purposes - they treated diseases, placed amulets, and spoke spells against illnesses.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.

Good Friday is the most mournful day of the pre-Easter week, because it was on Friday that Jesus Christ was subjected to severe torture and executed. What traditions should be followed on this day, what should you not do on Good Friday, so as not to experience troubles for a whole year?

We have collected 7 basic rules of behavior on Good Friday. Follow them and share the advice with your loved ones!

1.Good Friday is the strictest fasting day throughout Lent. Even if you haven’t fasted before, but want to make up for lost time at least a little, you can start today. According to Christian canons, on this day believers refuse any food until the Shroud is taken out. After three o'clock in the afternoon you can satisfy your hunger with a slice of bread and a glass clean water. The belief says that if a person can endure thirst throughout Good Friday, no drink can harm him for the entire year.

2. Don’t laugh and refrain from visiting entertainment venues and events. We are not talking, of course, about a reaction to a funny joke. But you shouldn’t purposefully have fun on Good Friday. It is believed that a person who is overly joyful on this day will next year will cry.

3. Don't wash, don't sew, don't cut. Any housework is prohibited on Good Friday.

4. Do not pierce the ground with iron objects - this will lead to grief and misfortune. By this rule, our ancestors, of course, meant seasonal work in the field and garden. But even in modern conditions there is something to think about: for example, from a transplant indoor plants or seedlings, it’s better to refuse for now.

By the way, there is one exception to this rule: the Slavs have long believed that parsley planted on Good Friday will give a double harvest. But keep in mind that you will have to sow the seeds without touching the ground with sharp or metal objects.

5. Bless the ring in the church. It will protect you from all diseases. Not necessarily a wedding item, not necessarily a precious one - just a favorite thing that you don’t part with every day.

6. In the old days they said: in order for your baby to grow strong and happy, you need to wean him on Good Friday. A controversial rule, of course, but if you think that folk signs are not fiction, it’s still worth a try.

7. Bring home twelve burning candles from the church service and let them burn out completely. This will bring you material well-being, luck and joy.

Folk signs for Good Friday

In addition to customs and traditions that are at least somehow related to Christianity, Good Friday is fraught with many frankly pagan beliefs in its history. Among them, the most interesting are these.

1.On Good Friday, you can find out if there is a “spoken” thing in your house (one that evil person caused damage). To do this, they bring an unburned candle from the church, light it in the house and go around all the rooms with it, bringing it to different corners. They say that it is precisely in the place where the candle flame begins to crackle that the enchanted object is located.

2. On this day they traditionally told fortunes about the harvest based on the weather. If the sky is starry, expect a grain harvest. if it’s cloudy all day, “the bread will be with the weeds,” our ancestors said. Which means expect a bad harvest this year.

What does Good Friday mean?

According to tradition, Christians believe that it was on this day that Jesus was crucified on Mount Golgotha. Therefore, the day of remembrance of the Passion of the Savior is essentially mourning for believers - this explains the abundance of strict prohibitions.

Good or Good Friday has always been highly revered among the people. After all, the death of Christ symbolizes the slaughter of an innocent lamb for the sins of all mankind - and Jesus’ gratitude for his act has no measure.

Of course, Orthodox and pagan customs were mixed on this day. In Rus', for example, it was customary to drive away evil spirits from the village - for this, boys and girls, armed with what, walked and rode through the village from end to end on foot and on horseback. These and many other traditions are a thing of the past, and some, on the contrary, have only now been revived. In any case, knowing the customs of your ancestors is a commendable thing, and observing them is doubly commendable.

Orthodox Christians celebrate Good or Good Friday. This day is the most mournful of all those that occur during 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 is Good Friday in 2018?

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 it follows 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 on Maundy Thursday, and there should be no housework until Easter.
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.

Not only Friday is called Holy Friday, but the entire week leading up to Easter. The last Friday of Lent is the most mournful day when believers remember martyrdom Jesus Christ through the crucifixion, one of the most important moments in history for Christians. This is a day when it is customary to attend church, lead a humble lifestyle and pray more for yourself and your loved ones. It is also the strictest day of Lent, when fun and laughter are not accepted, and all handicrafts and household work on this day are considered a great sin. There are even many signs on this topic. For example, according to legend, if you wash your clothes on this day and hang them out to dry, blood stains will appear on them. And if you stick iron objects into the ground (such as a shovel, for example), you can bring disaster to the whole family.

Is it possible to clean the apartment on Good Friday?

Is it possible to clean your home on Good Friday or is it better not to - this question probably interests many housewives. In the last week before Easter, many try to clean up their home and rid it of accumulated garbage in order to celebrate the bright holiday in cleanliness and order. Due to the busy rhythm of life and irregular work schedules of many people, it is often impossible to have time to clean the entire apartment or house on Maundy Thursday. Many housewives get out of it by postponing the general cleaning to Good Friday, they say, there is no other way out, and you can’t leave your home uncleaned.

According to established traditions, the decision to start cleaning on this day is not the best, but if there is no choice, you can clean the house after lunch, when the church service ends. This is also the answer to the common question of whether it is possible to clean on Good Friday evening. It’s better to postpone all things for the evening if you can’t implement them on Saturday. If there is a real choice between cleaning your home on Friday or Saturday, it is better to move all housework to Saturday.

For those who are forced to work on this day at work and do any types of cleaning, there is probably no other choice. This applies, first of all, to corporate cleaners, hotel maids, janitors and many other employees. But the church does not forbid such cleaning, because it is forced labor that is in no way dependent on you. Work without a twinge of conscience; all cleaning prohibitions on this day do not apply to you. The main thing is the correct spiritual attitude and moral behavior of a layman.

Why can't you clean up the cemetery on Good Friday?

It has already become a custom among Orthodox people that cleaning the graves of deceased relatives on Good Friday is undesirable; it is better to do this before Palm Sunday. But Holy Week is absolutely not conducive to such events. The most appropriate day to visit the cemetery after Palm Sunday is called Radonitsa, or Parents' Day, which falls on the ninth day after Easter. As a last resort, You can remove the graves of loved ones three days after the Resurrection of Christ, if there is no other opportunity or if they are in a very neglected state.

If this date falls on the anniversary of the death of a relative, it is better to reschedule visiting and cleaning the grave and the deceased a couple of days before Good Friday.

Such prohibitions are undoubtedly worth listening to, but if you have a strict need to visit the cemetery on this particular day, ask God for forgiveness and visit your deceased relatives. The main thing is to have peace of mind!