Good Friday
The Friday before Easter, commemorating the Crucifixion of Christ.
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, commemorating the Crucifixion of Christ. Catholic practice observes Good Friday with the Celebration of the Lord's Passion (not a Mass, since the Eucharist is not celebrated on Good Friday) at 3 PM (the traditional hour of the Crucifixion) or in the evening; the service includes the reading of the Passion narrative from John 18-19, solemn intercessions, the veneration of the cross, and the distribution of Communion from hosts consecrated the night before. Orthodox practice observes Holy Friday with Vespers including the bringing-forth of the Epitaphios (a burial shroud icon of Christ). Catholic and Orthodox tradition treat Good Friday as a day of fasting and abstinence; many Protestant traditions observe the day with a service of scripture and prayer.