Good Friday

==Eastern Orthodox==
[[File:Crucifixion by Theophanes the Cretan.jpg|thumb|[[Icon]] of the Crucifixion, 16th century, by [[Theophanes the Cretan]] ([[Stavronikita Monastery]], [[Mount Athos]])]]
Byzantine Christians ([[Eastern Christians]] who follow the [[Rite of Constantinople]]: [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christians]] and [[Greek Catholic Church|Greek-Catholics]]) call this day "Great and Holy Friday", or simply "Great Friday".<ref>{{cite book|title=A Concise Dictionary of Theology|author=Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia|page=108|publisher=Paulist Press|year=2013|isbn=978-1-587-68236-0}}</ref> Because the sacrifice of Jesus through his crucifixion is recalled on this day, the [[Divine Liturgy]] (the sacrifice of bread and wine) is never celebrated on Great Friday, except when this day coincides with the [[Great Feast]] of the [[Annunciation]], which falls on the fixed date of 25 March (for those churches which follow the traditional [[Julian Calendar]], 25 March currently falls on 7 April of the modern [[Gregorian Calendar]]). Also on Great Friday, the clergy no longer wear the purple or red that is customary throughout [[Great Lent]],<ref>There is a wide variety of uses regarding the [[liturgical colors]] worn during Great Lent and Holy Week in the Rite of Constantinople.</ref> but instead don [[black vestments]]. There is no "stripping of the altar" on [[Maundy Thursday|Holy and Great Thursday]] as in the West; instead, all of the [[antipendia|church hangings]] are changed to black, and will remain so until the Divine Liturgy on [[Great Saturday]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VcQ7AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA131 |page=131 |title=Worship for the Whole People of God: Vital Worship for the 21st Century |author=Ruth C. Duck |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |year=2013|isbn=978-0-664-23427-0 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Holy Saturday |work=Serbian Orthodox Church |date= |access-date=29 March 2024 |url= http://arhiva.spc.rs/eng/holy_saturday.html |language=en}}</ref>

The faithful revisit the events of the day through the public reading of specific [[Psalms]] and the [[Gospel]]s, and singing [[hymn]]s about Christ's death. Rich visual imagery and symbolism, as well as stirring hymnody, are remarkable elements of these observances. In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] understanding, the events of [[Holy Week]] are not simply an annual commemoration of past events, but the faithful actually participate in the death and the [[resurrection of Jesus]].<ref name="Bulg">{{Cite book
|last = Bulgakov
|first = Sergei V.
|year = 1900
|title = Handbook for Church Servers
|edition = 2nd
|page = 543
|chapter = Great Friday
|place = Kharkov
|publisher = Tr. Archpriest Eugene D. Tarris
|url = http://transfig.orthodoxws.com/files/Bulgakov/0543.pdf
|access-date = 6 April 2015
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215940/http://transfig.orthodoxws.com/files/Bulgakov/0543.pdf
|archive-date = 3 March 2016
|url-status = dead
}}</ref>

Great and Holy Friday is observed as an absolute [[Fasting|fast]], and adult Byzantine Christians are expected to abstain from all food and drink the entire day to the extent that their health permits. "On this Holy day neither a meal is offered nor do we eat on this day of the crucifixion. If someone is unable or has become very old [or is] unable to fast, he may be given bread and water after sunset. In this way we come to the holy commandment of the Holy Apostles not to eat on Great Friday." (cf. ''[[Black Fast]]'')<ref name="Bulg"/>

===Matins of Holy and Great Friday===
The Byzantine Christian observance of Holy and Great Friday, which is formally known as '''The Order of Holy and Saving Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ''', begins on Thursday night with the '''Matins of the Twelve Passion Gospels'''. Scattered throughout this [[Matins]] service are twelve readings from all four of the Gospels which recount the events of the [[Passion (Christianity)|Passion]] from the [[Last Supper]] through the [[Crucifixion]] and [[Holy Sepulchre|burial]] of Jesus. Some churches have a candelabrum with twelve candles on it, and after each Gospel reading one of the candles is extinguished.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Matins for Great and Holy Friday|url=https://mci.archpitt.org/sheetmusic/general/Holy_Friday_Matins.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=3 October 2021|access-date=3 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003013131/https://mci.archpitt.org/sheetmusic/general/Holy_Friday_Matins.pdf}}</ref>
[[File:Agias Triados frescos cross.jpg|thumb|upright|Good Friday cross from the [[Katholikon|Catholicon]] at Holy Trinity Monastery, [[Meteora]], Greece]]

The first of these twelve readings<ref>{{Bibleverse||John|13:31–18:1|KJV}}</ref> is the longest Gospel reading of the [[Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar|liturgical year]], and is a [[concatenation]] from all [[four Gospels]]. Just before the sixth Gospel reading, which recounts Jesus being nailed to the cross, a large [[Christian cross|cross]] is carried out of the sanctuary by the priest, accompanied by [[incense]] and candles, and is placed in the center of the [[nave]] (where the congregation gathers) ''Sēmeron Kremātai Epí Xýlou'':

<blockquote>Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross ''(three times)''.<br>He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns.<br>He who wraps the Heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery. <br>He who in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon His face.<br>The Bridegroom of the Church is transfixed with nails. <br>The Son of the Virgin is pierced with a spear.<br>We venerate Thy Passion, O Christ ''(three times)''.<br>Show us also Thy glorious Resurrection.<ref>{{Cite book
|last = Archimandrite Kallistos (Ware) and Mother Mary
|year = 2002
|title = The Lenten Triodion
|chapter = Service of the Twelve Gospels
|page = 587
|place = South Cannan, PA
|publisher = St. Tikhon's Seminary Press
}}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2QNbTDjvJ0 Today He who hung the earth upon the waters ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007040503/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2QNbTDjvJ0 |date=7 October 2021 }} Chanted by the Byzantine Choir of Athens</ref>
</blockquote>

The readings are:

# John 13:31-18:1 – Christ's last sermon, Jesus prays for the [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]].
# John 18:1–28 – The agony in the [[Garden of Gethsemane|garden]], the mockery and denial of Christ.
# Matthew 26:57–75 – The mockery of Christ, [[Saint Peter|Peter]] denies Christ.
# John 18:28–19:16 – [[Pontius Pilate|Pilate]] questions Jesus; Jesus is condemned; Jesus is mocked by the Romans.
# Matthew 27:3–32 – [[Judas]] commits suicide; Jesus is condemned; Jesus mocked by the Romans; [[Simon of Cyrene]] compelled to carry the cross.
# Mark 15:16–32 – [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Jesus dies]].
# Matthew 27:33–54 – [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Jesus dies]].
# Luke 23:32–49 – [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Jesus dies]].
# John 19:25–37 – [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Jesus dies]].
# Mark 15:43–47 – [[Joseph of Arimathea]] buries Christ.
# John 19:38–42 – [[Joseph of Arimathea]] buries Christ.
# Matthew 27:62–66 – The Jews set a guard.

During the service, all come forward to kiss the feet of Christ on the cross. After the [[Canon (hymnography)|Canon]], a brief, moving hymn, ''The Wise Thief'' is chanted by singers who stand at the foot of the cross in the center of the nave. The service does not end with the [[First Hour]], as usual, but with a special [[dismissal (liturgy)|dismissal]] by the priest:

<blockquote>May Christ our true God, Who for the salvation of the world endured spitting, and scourging, and buffeting, and the Cross, and death, through the intercessions of His [[Theotokos|most pure Mother]], of our holy and [[Holy Fathers|God-bearing fathers]], and of all the [[saint]]s, have mercy on us and save us, for He is good and the Lover of mankind.</blockquote>

===Royal Hours===
[[File:Service of the Royal Hours - Great Friday -- Annunciation, Toronto, 2014.JPG|right|thumb|Vigil during the Service of the Royal Hours]]
{{main|Royal Hours}}
The next day, in the forenoon on Friday, all gather again to pray the '''''Royal Hours''''',<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRSgOFbH-fQ |title=Royal Hours |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=30 April 2019 |archive-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002232857/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRSgOFbH-fQ |url-status=live }}</ref> a special expanded celebration of the [[Little Hours]] (including the First Hour, [[Third Hour]], [[Sext|Sixth Hour]], [[Ninth Hour]] and [[Typica]]) with the addition of scripture readings ([[Old Testament]], [[Epistle]] and Gospel) and hymns about the Crucifixion at each of the Hours (some of the material from the previous night is repeated). This is somewhat more festive in character, and derives its name of "Royal" from both the fact that the Hours are served with more solemnity than normal, commemorating Christ the King who humbled himself for the salvation of mankind, and also from the fact that this service was in the past attended by the Emperor and his court.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What happened on Good Friday? The Easter story explained|url=https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/30/happened-good-friday-easter-story-explained-7428082/|date=2018-03-30|website=Metro|language=en|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=1 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001104530/https://metro.co.uk/2018/03/30/happened-good-friday-easter-story-explained-7428082/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Vespers of Holy and Great Friday===
[[File:Toronto-Apokathylosis-2012-04-13.jpg|thumb|The crucified Christ, just before the [[Deposition from the Cross]] and the placing of the [[Epitaphios (liturgical)|Epitaphios]] in the Sepulchre]]
In the afternoon, around 3&nbsp;pm, all gather for the Vespers of the Taking-Down from the Cross,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTqiy-p7EkA |title=Vespers of the Taking-Down from the Cross |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=30 April 2019 |archive-date=2 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002232858/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTqiy-p7EkA |url-status=live }}</ref> commemorating the [[Deposition from the Cross]]. Following Psalm 103 (104) and the Great Litany, 'Lord, I call' is sung without a Psalter reading. The first five stichera (the first being repeated) are taken from the Aposticha at Matins the night before, but the final 3 of the 5 are sung in Tone 2. Three more stichera in Tone 6 lead to the Entrance. The Evening Prokimenon is taken from Psalm 21 (22): 'They parted My garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture.'

There are then four readings, with Prokimena before the second and fourth:

* Exodus 33:11-23 - God shows Moses His glory
* The second Prokimenon is from Psalm 34 (35): 'Judge them, O Lord, that wrong Me: fight against them that fight against Me.'
* Job 42:12-20 - God restores Job's wealth (note that verses 18-20 are found only in the Septuagint)
* Isaiah 52:13-54:1 - The fourth [[Servant songs|Suffering Servant song]]
* The third Prokimenon is from Psalm 87 (88): 'They laid Me in the lowest pit: in dark places and in the shadow of death.'
* 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:2 - St. Paul places Christ crucified as the centre of the Christian life

An Alleluia is then sung, with verses from Psalm 68 (69): 'Save Me, O God: for the waters are come in, even unto My soul.'

The Gospel reading is a composite taken from three of the four the Gospels (Matthew 27:1-38; Luke 23:39-43; Matthew 27:39-54; John 19:31-37; Matthew 27:55-61), essentially the story of the Crucifixion as it appears according to St. Matthew, interspersed with St. Luke's account of the confession of the Good Thief and St. John's account of blood and water flowing from Jesus' side. During the Gospel, the body of Christ (the ''soma'') is removed from the cross, and, as the words in the Gospel reading mention Joseph of Arimathea, is wrapped in a linen shroud, and taken to the [[altar]] in the sanctuary.[[File:Gold embroidery example.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Epitaphios (liturgical)|epitaphios]] ("winding sheet"), depicting the preparation of the body of Jesus for burial]] The Aposticha reflects on the burial of Christ. Either at this point (in the Greek use) or during the troparion following (in the Slav use):

{{blockquote|text=Noble Joseph, taking down Thy most pure body from the Tree, wrapped it in pure linen and spices, and he laid it in a new tomb.<ref name="auto1">{{cite book |last1=Ware |first1=Kallistos |last2=Mother Mary |title=The Lenten Triodion |date=1977 |publisher=St Tikhon's Seminary Press |location=South Canaan, PA |isbn=1-878997-51-3 |page=616}}</ref>}}

an ''[[Epitaphios (liturgical)|epitaphios]]'' or "winding sheet" (a cloth embroidered with the image of Christ prepared for burial) is carried in procession to a low table in the nave which represents the Tomb of Christ; it is often decorated with an abundance of flowers. The epitaphios itself represents the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud, and is a roughly full-size cloth icon of the body of Christ. The service ends with a hope of the Resurrection:

{{blockquote|text=The Angel stood by the tomb, and to the women bearing spices he cried aloud: 'Myrrh is fitting for the dead, but Christ has shown Himself a stranger to corruption.<ref name="auto1"/>}}

Then the priest may deliver a [[homily]] and everyone comes forward to venerate the epitaphios. In the [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] practice, at the end of Vespers, [[Compline]] is immediately served, featuring a special ''Canon of the Crucifixion of our Lord and the Lamentation of the Most Holy Theotokos'' by Symeon the Logothete.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Good Friday {{!}} Definition, History, & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Good-Friday|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=2 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502051925/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Good-Friday|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Matins of Holy and Great Saturday===
[[File:Epitaphios Peleka.jpg|thumb|left|The Epitaphios being carried in [[procession]] in a church in Greece.]]
On Friday night, the Matins of [[Holy and Great Saturday]], a unique service known as ''The Lamentation at the Tomb''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2_zMVTcdpg |title=The Lamentation at the Tomb |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=30 April 2019 |archive-date=5 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005142107/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2_zMVTcdpg |url-status=live }}</ref> ''(Epitáphios Thrēnos)'' is celebrated. This service is also sometimes called ''Jerusalem Matins''. Much of the service takes place around the tomb of Christ in the center of the nave.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Good Friday – Good Friday Story, Eastergoodfriday.com|url=http://www.eastergoodfriday.com/history-of-good-friday.html|website=www.eastergoodfriday.com|access-date=2020-05-27|archive-date=3 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003004835/http://www.eastergoodfriday.com/history-of-good-friday.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Epitaphios.jpg|thumb|Epitaphios adorned for veneration, Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, Hippodromion Sq., Thessaloniki, Greece]]
A unique feature of the service is the chanting of the Lamentations or Praises (''[[Encomium|Enkōmia]]''), which consist of verses chanted by the clergy interspersed between the verses of [[Psalm 119]] (which is, by far, the longest [[psalm]] in the Bible). The ''Enkōmia'' are the best-loved hymns of Byzantine hymnography, both their poetry and their music being uniquely suited to each other and to the spirit of the day.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maunder |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NgulDwAAQBAJ&dq=good+friday+possibly+before+the+time+of+St.+Romanos+the+Melodist.&pg=PA159 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Mary |date=2019-08-07 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-879255-0 |language=en}}</ref>

They consist of 185 [[tercet]] [[antiphon]]s arranged in three parts (''stáseis'' or "stops"), which are interjected with the verses of Psalm 119, and nine short ''doxastiká'' ("[[Gloria in excelsis Deo|Gloriae]]") and ''Theotókia'' (invocations to the Virgin Mary). The three ''stáseis'' are each set to its own music, and are commonly known by their initial antiphons: {{lang|grc|Ἡ ζωὴ ἐν τάφῳ}}, "Life in a grave", {{lang|grc|Ἄξιον ἐστί}}, "Worthy it is", and {{lang|grc|Αἱ γενεαὶ πᾶσαι}}, "All the generations". Musically they can be classified as [[strophic]], with 75, 62, and 48 tercet [[stanza]]s each, respectively.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maunder |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NgulDwAAQBAJ&dq=good+friday+possibly+before+the+time+of+St.+Romanos+the+Melodist.&pg=PA159 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Mary |date=2019-08-07 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-879255-0 |language=en}}</ref>

The climax of the ''Enkōmia'' comes during the third ''stásis'', with the antiphon "Ω γλυκύ μου ἔαρ", a lamentation of the Virgin for her dead Child ("O, my sweet spring, my sweetest child, where has your beauty gone?"). Later, during a different antiphon of that stasis ("Early in the morning the myrrh-bearers came to Thee and sprinkled myrrh upon Thy tomb"), young girls of the parish place flowers on the Epitaphios and the priest sprinkles it with rose-water. The author(s) and date of the ''Enkōmia'' are unknown. Their High Attic linguistic style suggests a dating around the 6th century, possibly before the time of [[St. Romanos the Melodist]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maunder |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NgulDwAAQBAJ&dq=good+friday+possibly+before+the+time+of+St.+Romanos+the+Melodist.&pg=PA159 |title=The Oxford Handbook of Mary |date=2019-08-07 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-879255-0 |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Epitaph Adelaide.jpg|thumb|The Epitaphios mounted upon return of procession, at an Orthodox Church in Adelaide, Australia.]]

The Evlogitaria (Benedictions) of the Resurrection are sung as on Sunday, since they refer to the  conversation between the myrrh-bearers and the angel in the tomb, followed by kathismata about the burial of Christ. Psalm 50 (51) is then immediately read, and then followed by a much loved-canon, written by Mark the Monk, Bishop of Hydrous and Kosmas of the Holy City, with irmoi by Kassiani the Nun. The high-point of the much-loved Canon is Ode 9, which takes the form of a dialogue between Christ and the Theotokos, with Christ promising His Mother the hope of the Resurrection. This Canon will be sung again the following night at the Midnight Office.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

Lauds follows, and its stichera take the form of a funeral lament, while always preserving the hope of the Resurrection. The doxasticon links Christ's rest in the tomb with His rest on the seventh day of creation, and the theotokion ("Most blessed art thou, O Virgin Theotokos...) is the same as is used on Sundays.{{cn|date=March 2024}}

At the end of the [[Great Doxology]], while the [[Trisagion]] is sung, the epitaphios is taken in [[crucession|procession]] around the outside the church, and is then returned to the tomb. Some churches observe the practice of holding the epitaphios at the door, above waist level, so the faithful most bow down under it as they come back into the church, symbolizing their entering into the death and resurrection of Christ. The epitaphios will lay in the tomb until the Paschal Service early Sunday morning. In some churches, the epitaphios is never left alone, but is accompanied 24 hours a day by a reader chanting from the Psalter.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}

When the procession has returned to the church, a troparion is read, similar to hthe ones read at the Sixth Hour throughout Lent, focusing on the purpose of Christ's burial. A series of prokimena and readings are then said:

* The first prokimenon is from Psalm 43 (44): 'Arise, Lord, and help us: and deliver us for Thy Name's sake.'
* Ezekiel 37:1-14 - God tells Ezekiel to command bones to come to life.
* The second prokimenon is from Psalm 9 (9-10), and is based on the verses sung at the kathismata and Lauds on Sundays: 'Arise, O Lord my God, lift up Thine hand: forget not Thy poor forever.'
* 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Galatians 3:13-14 - St. Paul celebrates the Passion of Christ and explains its role in the life of Gentile Christians.
* The Alleluia verses are from Psalm 67 (68), and are based on the Paschal verses: 'Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered.'
* Matthew 27:62-66 - The Pharisees ask Pilate to set a watch at the tomb.

At the end of the service, a final hymn is sung as the faithful come to venerate the Epitaphios.{{cn|date=March 2024}}