Good Friday

On Holy Friday - the worst day of the Son of God - do not celebrate the mass. In the morning in the temple they exported the holy shroud, which reminds wearing the Christ's body to the grave. In the evening takes place the symbolic burial of Christ.

The preparations throughout Lent, which started on Ash Wednesday, will culminate in the Easter Triduum, starting with liturgical celebrations of Maundy Thursday.

While Easter, the celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection, is the centrepiece of Christianity, the practices surrounding it in different denominations as well as countries around the world differ.

In the Orthodox Christian Church, Great Lent and Holy Week are two separate things. Officially, Great Lent ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday, and Holy Week begins the day after that. Each day during Holy Week has a special meaning, and understanding what each day represents can help making attending all those church services a lot more meaningful!

The SELPE association of Greek retail businesses on Tuesday announced opening hours for the week ahead of Greek Orthodox Easter on Sunday, April 16.

According to the announcement, shops including supermarkets will be open on Sunday, April 9, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Monday through Thursday next week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Metropolitan of Kalavryta and Egialias Ambrosios blasted Education Minister Nikos Filis over his decision to replace the current religious studies from the school curriculum with a lesson on comparative world religions. The Metropolitan held no bars on Good Friday during his speech at Church, pleading to Christ that Fili’s arm would rot before he signed the decree.

The Easter work hours of stores will take effect from Thursday, April 28. In Athens, retail shops will be open be open from 9 am in the morning till 9 pm in the evening on Thursday, while they will be open between 1 pm and 7 pm on Good Friday, April 29. On Saturday they will open from 9 am in the morning to 3 pm.

The Greek Orthodox Easter holidays and the coinciding of Labor Day with Easter Sunday will mean changes to museum and archaeological site opening hours, the Culture Ministry announced Monday.

The Islamic State (IS/Daesh) crucified an Indian Christian Catholic priest on Good Friday, according to the Washington Times. Reverend Thomas Uzhunnalil was working for Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity and was kidnapped in a raid in Yemen earlier this month.

The historic church of St. Voukolos (Agia Vukla) in Izmir held its first Holy Week services since 1922. Recently renovated, the church held its first Good Friday service and Epitaph procession through the streets of Izmir.

PM in Easter greetings to Church and believers

BELGRADE -- Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Friday sent his Easter greetings to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) patriarch, clergy, and believers.

Serbian Orthodox Christians today mark Good Friday and will on Sunday celebrate Easter.