Why is "Good Friday" named as such?
469443
In my opinion it is called Good Friday because this is the day when it is remembered that Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we may all have eternal life and if we ask all our sins will be forgiven.\n\nSad he had to go through so much torture and we will never fully appreciate what he did for us.
851129
i went this afternoon.  in the area i work our downtown church has a noon mass everyday!  it's great.  the priest even has the organist cut down on some of the singing becuse we want to be able to hear more of the word and let the people get to work on time - he's so cute.\n\ni don't understand why someone said this was stolen from the pagans. it's actually the oldest of the holy days (outside the basics) started in the 9th century.  they always honoured those who were martyred in the name of God and in the 9th cen. they adopted a day to honour them all together - the saints and the Saints alike!\n\nTHe readings were great -- i hope you are able to attend but if you can't, in the back of your bible there are the mass readings for the day -- enjoy!!!
709270
Christmas has always been celebrated around the chosen date of Christ's birth, (even though it's disputed as to his true day of birth).  The big hullabaloo was over the department stores trying to over compensate politically correct greetings of "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays", not entirely to NOT offend all customers, but to protect their bottom line profit, in case the Christmas greetings did offend someone & they might not shop their.  As I recall, Walmart was the instigator of the uproar.\nAs to reserving Christmas celebrations just around the 25th of Dec., our culture has survived much around the changing of the Holiday, just by instituting other countries traditions into the Christian Christmas long before many Europeans immigrated to North America.  The change with Santa Claus, etc.  For as long as their has been money to profit on a holiday, so has the holiday changed from its true origins.\nI think that it should always be respected as a Christian day of celebration (Christ's birth), but everyone has joined in to celebrate the Holiday "Christmas" in their own way, even going as far as an Atheist wishing those who are of a Christian faith, a "Merry Christmas", just out of respect like wish them good health, or have a nice day.  Or from a person of Asian descent, who participates in buying a Christmas Tree & presents, but doesn't beleive in Christ & then may prepare for the Chinese New Year Celebrations, etc.\nBesides... not all Christians celebrate Christmas the same either... eg: The Roman Catholic Church has mass at different times than say the The United Church.  And the opening of gifts is for some celebrated Christmas Eve than on Christmas Day.\nTO EACH HIS/HER OWN... I say, but let us show respect & tolerance for everyones religious days, even if that means saying nothing at all.
1089587
Well for the readers, The Christians gathered on the first day of the week, to celebrate the ressurection. This is why most Christians go to Church on Sunday. \n\nHowever, Since Christians rest in Jesus, everyday is a Sabbath day!!!!
6172
Because not everyone is Christian.  "Happy Holidays" is just a way to wish everyone well whether they celebrate Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanzaa.  It can also be meant to include New Year's Day along with Christmas.\n\nEven many people who celebrate Christmas do so in an entirely secular fashion, complete with Santa, the reindeer, Frosty, tree, and presents.  Whether the Christians like it or not, Christmas is and has been Christ-optional in our culture for a long time now.
957133
That's not a question. If this is about it being pagan then stop worrying since Halloween is just as much inspired by All Saints Day Eve, a Christian holiday, as it is by Samhein. No that's not coincedence it's the same story as Yule and Christmas, Christianity's attempt to overshadow other religion's holidays. I celebrate both since it's basically multiple religions that try to out do each other until only secularity overcomes both.
602842
yes, some do, like Christians have "Good Friday"  but i don't think your obligated to go, you go because you want to.
269100
Easter is on the first Sunday after the first full moon after vernal equinox.  This is why the date varies from year to year.  Good Friday is simply the Friday before Easter.
975963
That depends entirely upon what type of answer you are looking for. For many people in the United States, it is just a holiday for people to buy candy and distribute it to the children who dress up as their favorite ghoul, hero or otherwise.\n\nFor others, it is known as All Hallow's Eve. This is a day in which supernatural energies are at their most and sightings of demons, ghosts and other supernatural beings increase. Spells cast upon this day are supposed to never fail as long as the heart of the one casting it has intentions of good.\n\nIt also started as a way to keep demons out in another country. People would put treats onto their doorsteps to ward off the demons and those that did not offer the treats would be subject to the tricks of the demon. Trick or treat....
518594
I researched this question for you, I discovered more than I expected too. I hope this helps:\n\n\nOrigins\nThe origin of the Friday the 13th superstition has been linked to the belief that there were 13 people at The Last Supper of Jesus, who was crucified on Good Friday, but no evidence has been found that Friday 13th was considered especially unlucky until the 19th century. The number 13, however, has a long history of association with ill-luck. It has been linked to the fact that a lunisolar calendar must have 13 months in some years, while the solar Gregorian calendar and lunar Islamic calendar always have 12 months in a year. Another suggestion is that the belief originated in a Norse myth about twelve gods having a feast in Valhalla. The mischievous Loki gate-crashed the party as an uninvited 13th guest and arranged for Hod, the blind god of darkness, to throw a branch of mistletoe at Balder, the god of joy and gladness. Balder was killed instantly and the Earth was plunged into darkness and mourning as a result. Both the first and last explanations, however, seem more relevant to the superstition linked to having 13 people at the same table during a meal. There is also another theory that Friday the 13th of October 1307 was the day that Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the French Knights Templar to get their money for the French treasury. One other note which predates all of the aforementioned is that the first Passover seems to have occurred on Friday the 13th. The death of the firstborns of Egypt occurred on a Shabbat on the 14th of Nisan in the evening. But the Jewish calendar counts days from sunset to sunset so this would have been Friday the 13th in terms of the gentile reckoning of the days. (Exodus 12:6) Feminists have argued that because of the lunar year and Friday being named after a goddess in most European pagan calendars, the fear of Friday the 13th is a patriarchal invention, associating femininity with bad luck.\nhttp://www.useless-knowledge.com/1234/ma...\n\nSo what is some of the facts behind these superstitions? Well, first of all, let’s distinguish between two fears: \n\n1) Tridecaphobia – fear of the number 13\n\n2) Paraskevidekatriaphobia – fear of Friday the Thirteenth \n\nThe first one, Tridecaphobia, stems from people who just plain hate the number 13. Period. They will go to all extents to avoid the number. I know a few of these people, and sometimes it gets to be quite annoying. One person in particular that I know is unbelievably superstitious. He won’t write a check out if it has the number 13 on it. He purposely avoids being thirteenth in anything. 13 does not exist for him. 12 then 14 does, but not 13. It’s not part of his vocabulary. Extreme, yes, but he has a phobia, after all. \n\nParaskevidekatriaphobia—don’t even ask me to pronounce it, but it’s quite real. People who have this fear will not go out of their house on that day (Friday the 13th), avoid sharp objects on that day—just avoid it all together. The whole day just doesn’t exist on their calendar.
712258
Because of the Hope it represents.  Jesus was born on this day and without him we would have nothing to look forward to.  People that are on drugs, homeless, sick, have lost their children, would have no hope.  Jesus is the reason for the season and the hope for all.
5089
I know you said this question is for those who don't celebrate any religious holidays, but I'm going to answer anyways.  People seem to take great precaution to not offend anyone--unless, of course, they are Christians.  Go figure.  It can be so frustrating to see everyone try to take Jesus out of Christmas, isn't it?  :(  It may make you feel better to know that Happy Holiday means Happy Holy Day.  And I think it is safe to say Jesus's birthday is a VERY holy day, wouldn't you?  So... Happy Holy Day and a very Merry Christ-mas to you!
431346
A lot of people get overwrought about this..  unnecessarily, I think.\n\nThe NAME "Easter" was indeed the name of the pagan spring festival of the Germanic tribes.\n\nBut the Jewish Passover (Hebrew 'Pesach', Greek translation 'Pascha') was held at the same time of year, and since Jesus was crucified at the feast of Passover and raised just after it, the celebration of his resurrection naturally ended up being held at about the same time.  \n\nActually, the early church had different customs for when and how to celebrate this season. In AD 325 a council of the church agreed to a formula for determining the date, and for always observing the Day of Resurrection on a SUNDAY, since it was on that day, the first day of the week, that Jesus rose from the dead.\n\nNow in the Mediterranean cultures they simply took the word English renders as "Passover" and used that name for the feast.  But when the church spread among the Germanic tribes it might sometimes be called "Easter" instead, from the name of the Germanic feast.  (We do, however, sometimes use the word "paschal" to refer to things related to the death of Christ and Easter.)   \n\nBUT under EITHER name the Christian celebration of the resurrection was not substantially different.  It was hardly "paganized", anymore than someone just 'decided' to celebrate the resurrection at the time of a pagan festival.  \n\n(The fact that there ARE spring festivals in varous religions is not all that surprising.  And if people want to make something of it, their criticsim ought to be of the original Hebrew Passover, which was in part a spring/seasonal feast --closely connected to the 'Firstfruits'-- just as the two other major Jewish festivals were harvest festivals!   But it is silly to conclude this somehow makes all these things pagan.  I would argue, instead that God called his people to see in the 'new life' of spring a sign in his creation of his SPIRITUAL work for his people, as he redeemed them from Egypt and gave them a new life.)
243115
:}\nOne day of fasting from meat,   Friday to recall good Friday on a weekly basis in the same way that a change of the worship day from the sabbath to Sunday recalls the Resurrection on a weekly basis.
141373
Good Friday is always the Friday before Easter.  To properly understand the nature of Good Friday.  Some research is required to find out why Easter is scheduled the way that it is.\n\nAccording to Newadvent.org and an excerpt from the Catholic Encyclopedia, Easter will always fall some time between March 22 and April 25.  This would make Good Friday sometime between March 20 and April 23.\n\nSee the second paragraph in the link below under The Feast section for a more detailed explanation.
214936
Lucky or unlucky, Friday is one of the most popular days in the week. TGIF is the commonly used acronym meaning "Thank Goodness It's Fiday!". There is even a popular restaurant that goes by the name, claiming that whenever you eat there it is Friday. The love for the day is undoubtedly engendered by the fact that in the Western World it is the last workday of the week. \nIn predominantly Moslem countries, Friday is a holy day, a day to gather in the mosques at noon for prayers and to spend the day in religious contemplation. \n\nThe name of the day is derived from yet another Norse God (in this case a goddess), Frigga. She was believed to be the wife of Odin and was the goddess of marriage and the hearth. The Roman's had named this day for their goddess of beauty, Venus. They called it "dies veneris". When the Germanic tribes invaded England they imposed their goddess upon the day meant to honor Venus. The day was called frigedaeg, it has been corrupted over the centuries (since the 500's) to be "Friday". \n\nSince early times a Friday that falls on the 13th day of a month has been thought to be unlucky. Historians posit that this may be because there were thirteen persons present at the Last Supper of Christ and that this number proved unlucky; the following day (a Friday) Jesus was crucified. Find out when Friday the 13th falls for the rest of the year. \n\nThe Friday crucifiction spawned another Eastertime holiday known as Good Friday. The appellation, "good", was likely a corruption of the word, "God". So that Good Friday was originally, God's Friday, the day Christians believe God showed his love for the world by relinquishing his son.
307859
I've been to both. In reality, Jesus, and all others, when they were crucified, by Jewish custom had to be taken down from the cross (dead) before sunset Friday, which is why the Roman soldier put the spear through his side. They usually broke the legs of those crucified on the cross to hasten their death, but since Bible prophecy said that none of Jesus' bones would be broken, they stabbed him instead. So, I think they ought to have Good Friday services just before sunset, but in reality it doesn't really matter. It's the commemoration of the event that matters.