Guidance of Bhagavan Mahaveer....
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian
tradition to mark the day of crucification of Jesus, whom they believe
to be the Son of God as well as his Messiah or messenger. Jesus was
arrested, tried and sentenced by Pontius Pilate, to be executed on a
cross. Jesus was arrested following the famous Last Supper with the
Twelve Apostles, then flogged, and mocked by Roman soldiers for being
the King of Jews.
Collectively known as the Passion of Christ, the suffering and death of
Jesus by crucifixion represent the central theme of Christian theology,
including the doctrines of salvation and atonement.
Christians also believe his suffering was foretold in the Hebrew Bible,
in Psalm 22, and songs of the suffering servant of Isaiah.
Why is it called Good Friday?
The term Good Friday may be
derived from God Friday in the same way that the word goodbye is derived
from God Be With Ye. The good about Good Friday is that the barrier of
sin was broken by Jesus dying on the cross and coming back from the
dead.
What happened on Good Friday?
On a Friday, also called Black
Friday, Jesus was arrested and tried in a mock trial. He was then handed
over to the Roman soldiers to be beaten and flogged with whips. A crown
of long, sharp thorns was thrust upon his head. Then, he was forced to
carry his own cross to a place on top of Skull Hill, on the outskirts of
the city. There, he was nailed to the cross. A sign pinned above him
read The King of the Jews.
According to the Bible, Jesus was nailed to the cross at 9 AM. By 12 PM,
as his suffering intensified, the skies darkened even though it was
just noontime. At 3 PM, when Jesus died, the darkness left the sky.
All these miracles added to the faith of his followers that Jesus was no
ordinary mortal.
The main traditions of Good Friday
Some Christians go without food
on Good Friday. This helps them remember the sacrifice Jesus made for
them on the day of crucifixion. Others take part in a procession by
carrying a cross through the streets. Many churches hold a special
service, a prayer in the afternoon and a communion service in the
evening. In some churches, statues are covered with a cloth to symbolise
a time of mourning.
Good Friday was called also called Long Friday
The Anglo-Saxon name for Good Friday was Long Friday, due to the long fast lasting an entire day imposed upon this day.
Superstitions of Good Friday
Like every festival of faith, Good Friday too comes with its share of rituals and superstitions. Here are some:
1. A child born on Good Friday and baptised on Easter Sunday has the gift of healing.
2. Many fishermen do not set out for fishing on Good Friday, regarding it as inauspicious.
3. Bread or cakes baked on this day will not go mouldy.
4. Eggs laid on Good Friday will never go bad.
5. The planting of crops is not advised on Good Friday as an old belief warns against any iron entering the ground.
6. Having a haircut on Good Friday will prevent toothaches for the the rest of the year!
Why do we eat hot cross buns on Good Friday?
It is traditional to eat hot
cross buns on Good Friday. The cross icing on top of the buns symbolises
and reminds Christians of the cross that Jesus was killed upon.The buns
were traditionally eaten at breakfast time, hot from the oven.
A popular old song goes:
Hot cross buns,
Hot cross buns,
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross buns.
Hot cross buns and luck
There are unique superstitions associated with hot cross buns.
First of all, they are supposed to have magical powers, so people eat them and even wear them!
Secondly, there is a belief that a hot cross bun baked on Good Friday remains fresh for an entire year.
Thirdly, that hardened hot cross buns protect a house from fire!
Sailors of yore took hot cross buns to sea to prevent shipwrecks.
What is Easter?
Two days after Good Friday comes
Easter Sunday. The day has huge significance for followers of the
Christian faith as it was on Easter Sunday that Jesus came back to life,
proving that he was indeed the Son of God. it represents the victory of
good over evil.
What does the name Easter mean?
Pagan traditions give us the
English word Easter, which comes from the word Eostre. The Anglo-Saxon
word for April was Eostre-monath, or the month of openings. However, it
should be remembered that Christians celebrated the resurrection of
Christ long before the word Easter was used, and the word they used for
the celebration was Pascha, which is derived from and linked to the
Jewish festival of Passover. No wonder, in many European languages, the
name Easter comes from the word Passover, as in Pascha in Greek and
Latin, Pasqua in Italian, Paques in French and
Pascua in Spanish.
What are the traditions of Easter Sunday?
On Easter Sunday, Christians
gather together for a sunrise service. Some Christians take part in an
Easter vigil, lighting a new fire outside the church early Sunday
morning. The Paschal candle, decorated with studs to celebrate Christ's
wounds, may be lit from the fire and carried into the church where it is
used to light the candles of the worshippers. The Easter Eucharist is a
particularly joyful service. It is a popular time for baptisms and
renewal of baptism vows.
How did the Easter bunny hop into the picture?
An Anglo-Saxon legend relates to
the Easter bunny and eggs. It talks of how the Saxon goddess Eostre
found a wounded bird and transformed it into a hare, so that it could
survive the winter. The hare found it could lay eggs, so it decorated
these each Spring and left them as an offering to the goddess.
Easter and eggs
Now that we know how Easter came
to be connected with eggs, let us explore the ande ka funda. The first
eggs given at Easter were eggs of birds. These eggs were painted in
bright colours to give them the look of a gift. Even today, Easter eggs,
normally made of chocolate, are painted or decorated. Around 80 million
chocolate eggs are eaten around Easter in the UK.
Special food for Easter
After the lean months of winter
and the fasting weeks of Lent, food at Easter comes as a special treat.
Easter, like Christmas, is associated with a special menu.
The Simnel cake is a rich fruitcake covered with a thick layer of almond
paste or marzipan. A layer of marzipan is also traditionally baked into
the middle of the cake, sprinkled with currants and flat Easter
biscuits. Eleven balls of marzipan are placed around the top to
represent the eleven true disciples of Jesus.
Easter biscuits contain spices, currants and lemon rind. The traditional
Easter pudding is custard tart. Boiled eggs are traditionally served at
breakfast, after which Easter cards and gifts are exchanged.
How to bake Simnel cake
Here is the recipe to bake
Simnel cake. Begin by toasting almonds to give them extra crunch and
flavour. Spread them out on a baking sheet and pop them in the
pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes. Remove the almonds and when cool, chop
them roughly. Next unwrap the marzipan, cut the block into two halves,
re-wrap one of them for use later and chop the remaining half into ½
inch (1 cm) cubes. Toss them in 1 tablespoon of the flour from the cake.
Now for the cake. Take your largest mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking
powder and spice in, then simply place all the ingredients, except the
marzipan, icing sugar, icing, redcurrant jelly and egg yolk, into the
bowl. Then, take an electric hand whisk or a wooden spoon, and give
everything a good mix. Finally, gently fold in the squares of marzipan
and any remaining flour. Bake for 2¾-3¼ hours at the lower temperature
of gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C). After the cake is done, you may decorate
it with eleven balls of marzipan.
How to bake hot-cross buns
Sift the white bread flour and
salt into a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture
resembles breadcrumbs.Stir in the spices (1tsp ground cinnamon, 1tsp
ground mixed spice and 1/4tsp grated nutmeg), 50 g unrefined sugar,
dried fruit, candied peel and yeast. Make a well in the centre. In
another bowl, beat the milk and eggs together and pour into the flour.
Mix well, then pour onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 mins
until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm
and leave in a warm place for about 45 mins to rise. Divide into 14
pieces and shape into buns. Place well apart on greased baking sheets,
cover loosely with clingfilm and leave in a warm place until it doubles
in size. Cut a cross in the top of each bun with a sharp knife. Mix
flour to pour into the the crosses. Bake for 15-20 mins at 200ºC/400°F.
Meanwhile, heat the ingredients for the glaze in a small pan and simmer
for 2 minutes until syrupy.
The games of Easter
There are a lot of sporting
traditions associated with Easter celebrations in England. Egg rolling
is one such popular sport, where hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a
hill. Some say the egg rolling represents the rolling of the stone from
the tomb of Jesus.
Another game that is played on Easter is the playing of a game with eggs
known as jarping. It is a bit like playing conkers, with players
tapping the eggs of their opponents until one breaks. The winner goes
through to the next round, until there is only one egg left unbroken.
The Easter basket
The Easter bunny is known for
delivering sweet treats to young children, so it is no surprise that
Easter baskets often feature a chocolate bunny, besides the customary
candies and sweets.
Easter celebrations in other countries
In Brazil, which has the famous
Christ statue, there a tradition of beating up Judas, the apostle who
betrayed Christ. People make straw men representing Judas, hang them on
the streets, then destroy them.
In Sweden, Easter resembles Halloween. Children dress up as witches with
a broom and go around local houses asking for sweets.
In the Philippines, Easter involves little girls dressed as angels.
The message of this holy weekend
I wish to conclude this blog by
saying that let us take time to reflect on the huge message of this holy
weekend. The message is that death, represented by Good Friday, is not
the end. The spirit is eternal, as represented by Easter Sunday, when
Jesus rose from the dead and gave mankind hope.
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