Good Friday in US
Good Friday occurs two days before Easter Sunday in
the United States. It is the day when Christians commemorate Jesus Christ's
crucifixion, which plays an important part in the Christian faith. It is not a
federal holiday in the United States, although it is a state holiday in some
states.
Some Christians may attend special church services
or prayer vigils. Good Friday is a day of mourning and quiet prayer for many
Christians. The candles are often extinguished and statues, paintings and
crosses may be draped in black, purple or gray cloth. Some Catholics treat Good
Friday as a day of fasting, while others observe a partial fast involving the
exclusion of meat.
Some homes keep a quiet atmosphere, with little or
no outside activities and limited television, radio, and computer use, in
observing Good Friday. Others choose to play music such as JS Bach's St.
Matthew's Passion. Some people bake hot cross buns, a traditional Good
Friday sweet.
Good Friday is another day at work for many
Americans, as it is not a national holiday. Some people may choose to take a
day off work and have a long “Spring Break” weekend. In some states, employees
are given a day off on Good Friday.
Good Friday is not an official holiday in the United
States. Regular services will continue according the schedule in some areas,
including Toledo, Ohio, where the city’s refuse will be collected during its
regular schedule. However, financial markets, as well as many businesses,
public schools and universities/colleges are closed on Good Friday.
Good Friday is a state holiday in some states such
as Hawaii, where city and state offices are closed and some forms of public
transport (eg. buses) run on the state holiday schedule. In some areas,
such as Perry County in Tennessee, Good Friday is a school holiday. Good
Friday is a holiday designated by the governor as a day of fasting and prayer
in Connecticut.
In accordance with state law, Indiana state
employees are given a day off on Good Friday, a religious holiday. In 1999, in
the case of Bridenbaugh v O'Bannon, an Indiana state employee sued the
governor for giving state employees Good Friday as a day off. The US Seventh
Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the plaintiff, stating that the
government could give state employees a paid day off when that day is a
religious holiday, including Good Friday, but only so long as the state can
provide a valid secular purpose that coincides with the obvious religious
purpose of the holiday.
Good Friday is the day when Christians commemorate
the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The
Easter date depends on the ecclesiastical
approximation of the March equinox.
This is an important event in Christianity, as it
represents the sacrifices and suffering in Jesus' life. The crucifixion was the
culmination of a number of events in Holy Week, including: the triumphal return
of Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; the washing of the disciples' feet by Jesus;
and the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday. Some churches organize a prayer vigil
on Good Friday for various causes, such as for cancer patients or for the
American troops who have been sent to the middle-east.
The crucifix, or cross, which represents the way
Jesus died, is an important symbol seen on Good Friday. Some crosses bear a
figure of Christ. Other symbols of Good Friday include black cloth used to
cover the cross, paintings and statues in churches and some homes to signify
mourning.
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