Orthodox Christians mark Good Friday

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Orthodox Christians in Serbia are marking Good Friday to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary.

Good Friday is believed to be the saddest day in Christianity. On this day, Jesus Christ was taken to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate who sentenced him to be crucified. Looking upon the people and soldiers who tortured him, Jesus said “Forgive them father for they know not what they do.”

Fasting is part of the Good Friday tradition among Serbian Orthodox faithful. The Easter fast that lasts 7 weeks ends on Saturday before Easter Sunday. Good Friday is also the day when Easter eggs are dyed a traditional red to symbolize the blood of Christ. In most households the custom is to paint the first egg red and call it the “keeper of the house”.

There is also no singing, no celebrations and no divine liturgies on Good Friday, and there is no ringing of church bells from Thursday to Easter Sunday because, in the Orthodox Church, they symbolize joy.

The Orthodox Church uses a different system to calculate the date of Easter than the Catholic and Protestant churches. According to those calculations, Easter sometimes falls on the same date for all churches and sometimes, like this year, it falls on different dates.

The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates Easter on April 16 this year. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are national holidays in Serbia.