Good Friday a Very Special Day

by Abigail Knowles Wolfe (BPRW)

March 21st and 22nd may have witnessed a once in a lifetime unfolding of sacred observances in 2008 as a large percentage of the world’s population recognized a religious holiday this particular day in history. Lunar systems and the Gregorian calendar collaborated just once this millennium to form one of the holiest days many of us are likely to see in our lifetimes.

Christians observed Good Friday on March 21st, 2008, the day that Jesus Christ died on the cross, and two days before the jubilation of Easter Sunday. Good Friday is inarguably the most solemn of religious holidays for Christians. Purim, which began at sundown on the 21st on the other hand, is one of the most joyous and celebratory holidays on the Jewish calendar. Purim is a festival celebrating the biblical book of Esther and a time in which Jewish people living in ancient Persia were saved from peril.

No Ruz, the Persian New Year, is a celebration of the spring Equinox and dates back thousands of years. A pre-Islamic celebration, No Ruz is celebrated by Zoroastrians as well as Baha’is and took place during this same time frame. Tables are created in Persian homes displaying items all starting with the Farsi letter “s.” This includes mirrors, grass, goldfish and other celebratory items.

Many Sunni Muslims celebrated Eid Milad al Nabi, the Birth of the Prophet, and while officially beginning on Thursday, March 20th, it is often marked Friday. The eve of the Hindu festival of bonfires, Small Holi was celebrated as will Magha Puja, an important Buddhist holiday recognized as a national holiday in Thailand.

Good Friday, like many other Christian holidays, is a set number of days before Easter. Christmas in the U.S. for example falls on the same day of the Gregorian calendar each year, following a standard non-religious system that has become quite familiar to us in modern times. Yet, the majority of holidays falling on March 21st do not follow this calendar, instead calculated on ancient lunar systems for reasons dealing with the advancement of technology over the centuries. March 21st and 22nd, 2008 are interesting days historically and should be looked upon with fascination as the world’s main religions observe special days.