Good Friday or Black Friday?
Today, of course, is Good Friday - a lexical feature I can't seem to understand.
If Christ is actually tortured and crucified on this day, it should be anything but 'good' which the oxymoronic noun denotes? How did this lexis come into the English language, and why, in an absurd way, have we allowed it to depict one of the most gruesome incidents in the history of western civilisation?
Does it have any bearing to the word 'God' as in 'goodbye' - meaning 'may God go with you'? Surely, therefore, it makes more sense to call Easter Sunday 'Good Sunday' - as in God's day - and to call today 'Black Friday' - which is essentially what it is/was.
Hmm. Perplexing...
Can anyone shed light on the origins - the etymology - concerning Good Friday and educate this poor simpleton?
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Google is your friend : http://icanhaz.com/goodfriday
Hello Roshan,
Re Good Friday, I suspect the name has something to do with us needing to be good,(like me helping you out of your confusion now), on this day of blood sacrifice, upgraded from local pre Christian religions, beyond an appeasement of the greedy Gods into example so that by Jesus dying into life we will too. How much of this stuff do you want? It's the apex of what we should have consciously given up for Lent... so that Christians eat no meat on Good Friday and have to replace it with fish. Fortunately I accessed some Sea Bream in the Petit Paris Restaurant, Nottingham which was very Good.
Georgina - thanks for that. Interesting. Don't know about being good - seems a bit too obvious to me. As for not eating meat on Good Friday, Christians - or at least orthodox christians - don't eat meat or dairy products for 40 days before Easter Sunday - as from Ash Wednesday...
And incidentally, if Christ died on Friday afternoon around 3ish (I don't know where I picked that from), then it's not quite 3 days if he rose on Sunday. Surely this is an important key aspect of the Easter story and yet I find it odd that it doesn't tally very well.
Excuse me guys, but I seem to remember from my school days (and school dinners in particular) that Christians always ate fish, and never meat, on Fridays, any and all Fridays. Steamed fish, fried fish, poached fish, fish-pie, and always served with mash potato and baked beans.
Good one, Jenny. Always wondered why nearly everyone I know used to have fish and chips on Friday nights! Might be linked to what you've just said...
Good one, Jenny. Always wondered why nearly everyone I know used to have fish and chips on Friday nights! Might be linked to what you've just said...