All Orthodox Christians strive to spend the last week before Easter in strict fasting and prayer. This is no coincidence, because at this time the Church remembers the last days of the Savior's earthly life. Good Friday is the day of special mourning and commemoration of the great event of cosmic proportions - the crucifixion of Christ.
Good Friday is the strictest fasting day of the year for Orthodox Christians. On this day, the church charter prescribes abstinence from food. Only water is allowed. As a relief, you can take some food in the form of dry eating after dinner, when the holy shroud of the Savior will already be taken out in the temples.
Good Friday is a recollection of the terrible events of the crucifixion of the Lord. The Orthodox person must be imbued with a special understanding of the price at which the salvation of all mankind, the whole world, was achieved. The price is incredibly high - the death of the Son of God. On this day, He Who did not commit a single sin dies. God himself leaves his life in order to give everyone the opportunity of eternal life in paradise. Christ's salvation was accomplished not only by people who lived in those days, but also by all ancestors and descendants. That is why every Orthodox person strives to fast strictly on Good Friday and raise his mind to the memory of terrible historical events. It is necessary to let them through your heart, to feel the whole tragedy of what is happening.
Scripture tells us that at the time of the crucifixion of Christ, the sun went dark. Nature shuddered at what the creature did to its Creator. An earthquake was observed. These natural phenomena were confirmed by further data from astronomers and other scientists. So, it is known that on the day of Christ's death, the darkness that enveloped the earth was a solar eclipse.
Good Friday is the climax of God's love for man. The Bible says so that God’s love for people is so strong that He gives His Only Begotten Son to death. So it was decided by the eternal advice of the Trinity before the creation of man. On Good Friday, the divine plan for the suffering of God for the sins of people is embodied and this shows the height of the Creator's love for creation.
Therefore, Orthodox Christians all over the world strive to keep this day holy and clean.
