Good Friday

Christmas and Easter are the two most important religious holidays to Christians around the world. Christmas is of course the birth of Jesus, while Easter celebrates his death on the cross and resurrection three days later. Many religions believe that Jesus was a prophet while Christians believe that Jesus was the true living Son of God on earth.

Some Good Friday Trivia

• Catholics forgo eating meat on Good Friday that was originally a day of fasting.
• The 14 Stations of the Cross chronicles the procession from Gethsemane to the sanctuary of the cross and the crucifixion.
• Good Friday has long been a holiday for schools, banks, and other public institutions but most retail stores stopped closing on Good Friday several years ago due mostly to economic loss during the three-day weekend.
• Germany bans public dancing on Good Friday.
• Kites are flown in Bermuda to symbolize the ascension into heaven after Jesus’s death.
• For years black was the traditional color of Good Friday but was changed to red in recent years.
• Good Friday finally became an official holiday in Cuba in 2012 after a visit by Pope Benedict XVI convinced Castro to adopt the holiday.
• Many people take their religious beliefs very seriously. Some Catholic true believers in the Philippines actually nail people to crosses each year as part of their reenactment of the crucifixion. The Catholic Church does not endorse this practice.
• Two Oxford researchers contend that the crucifixion occurred on April 3, 33 AD. All four Gospels in the bible agree that the event happened during the Jewish Passover.
• Crucifixions had been practiced for over 600 years before Christ was crucified. Most religious scholars agree that the nails were probably through the wrists rather than the hands. The bones and ligaments in the hands would not have been able to support the weight of the body.

Some Final Thoughts

It’s often said that the best way to get along with people is never mention religion or politics. For many people their beliefs run very strong and very deep. In recent years political correctness has gone a little overboard in my opinion. If you are offended by the mention of Easter, or any other religious mention for that matter, then it would seem that you are the intolerant person in the equation.

People should have the right to celebrate their beliefs without interference from the “emotional police” that seems to tolerate any expression that’s a minority expression. Can’t we all just get along? Or will we celebrate “Every Saints Day” next year instead of St. Patrick’s Day. Or are Saints off limits too?