Good Friday is considered the day when Christ was crucified before his resurrection on Easter Day. Since he gave up his life for the good of humanity, Christians call the day ‘Good’ Friday.
Christians across the city observed Good Friday by attending church services, enacting the crucification and observing a fast. Good Friday is considered the day when Christ was crucified before his resurrection on Easter Day. Since he gave up his life for the good of humanity, Christians call the day ‘Good’ Friday.
“We spent most of the day in prayers and meeting people. Many of us abstained from all kinds of solid food and had only water or tea. The point is that we remember Christ and his sacrifice on this day. Through his sacrifice, he taught us to love and serve the humanity,” said Willie Shirsat, a resident of IC Colony, Borivli.
While Shirsat stays away from food, some like Ann Joseph, a Bandra resident, go for prayers and then stay at home and observe abstinence by consciously avoiding their favourites like chocolates and cakes. “I like chocolates and can have them all day. But for the 40 days of Lent, I abstain from having them. It makes the abstinence more meaningful. We do not even have meat during this period and my husband avoids alcohol too.”
Large number of people joined a five-hour long walking pilgrimage from Sacred Heart Church in Santa Cruz to Vakola. Every year organisers of Vakola’s rally have a theme for enactment of Jesus being flogged on his way to crucification. This year the organisers related the crucification to the atrocities on Christians in Orissa and Karnataka.
“The idea was to show that Jesus was an innocent man and he could not fight back. Similarly, Christians today are commanded by their faith to turn the other cheek. Due to this, being soft targets, they are persecuted,” said Joseph Dias of the Catholic Secular Forum, which organises the event. Plays describing the ‘passion of Christ’ were enacted prominently in 15 spots across the city. In some places, like St. Andrews Church had life-size cut outs of the last supper.
Good Friday also marks the preparation for Easter when the community celebrates the resurrection of the Christ. “Marzipan and other delicacies take time so we prepare them from now on. On Easter day, we make wedding rice, pork and chicken roast and meat curries,” added Joseph. Easter eggs, which symbolise life, are made in large numbers and given to those who visit on that day. Sophia Netto, a resident of Bandra, who is already making Easter Eggs in large quantities said, “I am making marzipan eggs and chicken. I have started early as I need to make enough eggs for my relatives and friends.”
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