Good Friday 2023: Special Prayers, Processions & Fasting; How Cities Are Gearing Up to Observe Holy Week

Christians all across India are observing Good Friday during the Holy week (April 7), a day of great religious importance. It is observed to commemorate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Good Friday is not celebrated but is a day of mourning for the Christian community, and it is recommended to not extend wishes to people like a ‘Happy Good Friday’.

In Telangana’s Hyderabad, churches have geared up anticipating huge crowds. They have made elaborate arrangements for Good Friday prayers. Christians from the twin cities will witness Passion Play, the enactment of Jesus Christ’s suffering till his crucifixion, a Times of India report said. Churches in the city will perform their service in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and English.

In Kerala, devotees were seen carrying a wooden cross depicting the crucifixion of Jesus Christ during a procession on the occasion of Good Friday in Thiruvananthapuram.

The ‘Way of the Cross’ procession was held in West Bengal’s Kolkata and Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore as well.

In churches, the Good Friday mass timings depend on their denominations, starting from 8.30 a.m and ending in some churches as late as 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a sand sculpture on ‘Good Friday’ at Odisha’s Puri beach.

Some Christians also make it a point to have a day-long fast until they attend the Good Friday Mass in the evening. Elizabeth D’Souza, a Vile Parle resident also does so, she told Free Press Journal (FPJ).

A day after Good Friday is the day of celebration or Easter day. This day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, which as per New Testament was on the third day of his burial.

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