Today, April 15 this year, is Good Friday. The day is observed as an occasion for fasting, reflection, prayer and solemnity by most Christians and Catholics.
The date of Good Friday shifts from year to year — it all comes down to the lunar calendar, specifically the first full moon to take place after the spring equinox — Good Friday is celebrated the following Friday.
Superstitions say that buns baked on Good Friday will never spoil, protect against shipwrecks and will even shield your home from fire. Another old legend says that people who share a hot cross bun will remain good friends for a year — if — they say a special rhyme while enjoying the bun: “Half for you and half for me, between us two shall goodwill be.” Might be worth a try….
Another superstition encourages you to get a haircut on Good Friday — it prevents headaches for the rest of the year (and makes you look nice for Easter.)
Every year, the open-air play “The Passion of Jesus” is performed in London’s Trafalgar Square — for free. It’s even streamed live on Facebook.
Jamaica has a strange custom — before sunrise, you crack an egg and add just the egg white to a glass of water. As the rising sun heats the egg, patterns form in the glass. Elders believe the way the white swirls can predict the way in which you will die.
The Irish have a tradition of marking eggs with a holy cross and having each family member eat one on Easter Sunday — doing this will help bring good health and luck in the next year. They also believe that eggs laid on Good Friday will never rot — some people hold onto eggs for decades just to prove the myth.
In the Philippines, they re-enact the Crucifixion by actually nailing people (they are volunteers.)
Every year on Good Friday, Bermuda holds its famous kitefest. People go to the beach for a day of easter egg hunts, Bermudian food and kite flying.
When Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba in 2012, he requested that the Cuban government make Good Friday an official holiday, allowing people to stay home and observe the sacred day without taking off work — his request was granted.
In New Zealand, TV and radio ads are prohibited between 6 a.m. and noon on Good Friday, out of respect for the religious day of observance.
In Germany, this day is called Sorrowful Friday and dancing is prohibited, forcing nightclubs to close or risk being fined.
The very first Good Friday was observed on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33.
On Good Friday in 1930, BBC radio announced, “There is no news.” The station then played piano music for the rest of the day. I’m pretty sure that’s not likely to happen this year.
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