Good Friday

       Good Friday is the day when the faithful deeply reflect on the Passion of the Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered to redeem humankind. Christians attend solemn church services in their respective parishes for their prostrations.

 

        In the church, all symbols, images, and instruments associated with the Savior's Passion are publicly displayed and shrouded in black curtains. Priests leading the rituals don black vestments, and all sacred objects, including the altar, are draped with black cloths, symbolizing the dark centuries of Adam's estrangement from God. The priests dispense fragrance in the church, not with incense but with myrrh, signifying the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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       Saint Ephraim brought incense, acknowledging Him as God; gold, recognizing Him as King; and myrrh, signifying the death He was to endure. Men and women flock to the church to prostrate themselves, remaining there from the early morning until 5-6 p.m., marking the hour of the Lord Jesus Christ's death.

 

       During these three solemn days, priests and elders abstain from eating bread and drinking water, staying in the Holy Churches, engaged in singing and praying. This solemn fast is known as "Akfelot." The Apostles themselves neither ate nor drank until they were informed of the Lord's resurrection, and similarly, all Christians follow this practice in observance of these sacred days.

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