25 Good Friday Facts That Prove How Fascinating This Holiday Really Is

Here is an excerpt from an article by Kara Ladd and Selena Barrientos for the Good Housekeeping website.

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Spring is on its way, and with it comes the arrival of holidays like Easter Sunday and Good Friday. While Easter gets most of our attention, Good Friday has its own unique history and traditions worth learning more about. The Christian holiday, which will take place on April 2 this year, inspires many unique celebrations around the globe as well as some interesting superstitions worth sharing with your family before you start your egg hunt or sit down to your holiday dinner.

For example, Germany and New Zealand have some interesting laws in place for the occasion, and certain legends say eggs and buns from this day are everlasting. (Although we wouldn’t recommend testing that for yourself!) So before the Easter bunny gets here, let’s dig into all the special aspects about Good Friday that makes this celebration a unique holiday. From its storied origins to the surprising ways it’s celebrated around the world, here are [the first ten of 25] Good Friday facts that you should know.

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1. It can take place any day between March 20 and April 23.

Since Easter is a “moveable feast,” Good Friday similarly shifts dates from year to year. It all comes down to the lunar calendar, specifically the first full moon to occur after the spring equinox. Good Friday is celebrated the following Friday, with Easter Sunday just after it. Good thing your calendar calculates it for you!

2. Hot cross buns are considered good luck.

These sweet, dense treats traditionally eaten on Good Friday are said to be packed with some serious good luck. Superstitions say that buns baked on holiday will never spoil, protect against shipwrecks, and will protect your home from fire.

3. They can also help you make friends.

According to an old legend, people who share a hot cross bun will remain good friends for a year if they say a special rhyme while enjoying the treat: “Half for you and half for me, between us two shall goodwill be.”

4. It’s a good time to get a haircut.

Grab the scissors! According to superstition, getting a haircut on Good Friday prevents headaches for the rest of the year.

5. You can watch a play for free in London.

Every year, the open-air play The Passion of Jesus is put on in London’s Trafalgar Square, which you can watch via a live stream on Facebook.

6. Jamaicans crack an egg.

This custom is a little different than the American custom of dying eggs. Before sunrise, the tradition goes that you crack an egg and add just the egg white to a glass of water. As the rising sun heats the egg, patterns form in the glass, which elders believe predicts the way in which you will die.

7. You can find alfrombras in Central America.

The streets of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala are filled with “alfrombras,” or religious art made out of colorful sawdust.

8. On Good Friday in 1930, there was no news.

On a particularly slow news day in 1930, BBC radio announced, “There is no news.” Listeners then heard piano music for the rest of the day.

9. It’s an unofficial holiday.

Some schools and banks may be closed, but Good Friday isn’t actually observed across the country. Only 12 states acknowledge this Good Friday.

10. It became a federal holiday in Cuba not too long ago.

Thanks to Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the Caribbean nation in 2012, the Cuban government granted his request to make Good Friday an official holiday, allowing people to stay home and observe this sacred day.

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Here is a direct link to the complete article.

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