Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-04-18
GOOD FRIDAY.
Something abou' tho History of the
Day.

1t is the eighteen hundred and fifty
first anniversary of the day that Christ
was
For our alyantt &c, on the bitter Cross
and the church, throughout all Christian
dom, is in mourning. The day is termed
good" Friday, by the English speaking
nations only. 1t was anciently called Ho-
y Friday, or Friday in Holy Week. BY
the Saxons it was named Long Friday,
both on account of its lengthy religious
services, and of its rigorous and protract-
ed fast. The Germans term it some
times SteHcr Freitag, because the peal
ing of bells, and the sounds of the org
IN are hushed on the day. and sometimes
Mar-Frcitdg, from an old word which
means penitence. In some Of the ancient
Eastern churches, inasmuch as it com
memorates the day on which Christ, the
true paschal lamb, was slain, it was de-
signated MS 'the pasch," and the appella-
ION of "the sorrowful pasch" was unlvers-
ally applied to it by the Greeks, and is
still so applied in the East, and in sever
al of the countries of Western Europe
The ritual observed for the day. both in
the Greek and Latin churches, has especi-
al reference to the circumstances of the
crucifxion and burial of the Saviour. In
Ill large churches it is customary to deco
rate an altar in n separate chapel with all
magnihcence, and call it the sepulchre
| and thither on Holy Thursday, the day
previous. the consecrated host or "the
body of the Lord, as it is called, is borne
| IN solemn procession, and this continues to
be visited throughout the day by throngs
| of the faithful. On the morning OF Coed
Friday, or as some have it, God, Friday,
after the chanting of the prophecies fore
| telling the death of Christ, and the recit-
nj Of his passion from the Gospel of ST.
John, the alteration or kissing of the
cross takes place. This ceremony is thus
ordered While the choir sings the i'm
proporia, or the reproaches of the Mes
siah to the people who crucifed him, a
cruciix is placed on the steps before the
high altar and then the officiating clergy
men, with their attendants, approach
barefooted, each one making three sue
cessive prostrations before they kiss the
feet of the sacred image. The crucifx is
then presented by the celebrant, at the
sanctuary railing, for the veneration oi
the people. In England, before the day,
of the reformation this ceremony was
known as "the creeping to the cross, ant
a proclamation was made in the time o.
Henry VIII. that "On Good Friday i
shall be declared howe creeping OF thu
crosse signifyeth an humblynge Of our
selfe to Christie before the crosse, and th,
kissynge of it memorie Of our redemp
tion made upon the crosse" After tn
i ceremony Of the alteration, the consecra
ted host is brought in procession
from the sepulchre to the high altr, wher
it is incensed, offered to the alteration o
all present, and is consumed-the bod
and blood Of Christ-by the celebrant
This is called "the mass of the presancti
fed" or preconsecratcd bread, as tn
eucharistic elements are not consecrate
on that day. In the early church, in hor
t or of the redemption accomplished o
Good Friday, it was customary to releas
public penitents from their probation
and to remove the ban of the church froI
the excommunicated :; and the first Chris
ian Emperors We're not only satisfied wit
closing the law courts during Holy an
g Easter weeks, but they also honored th
l anniversary of the worlds salvation b
liberating from prison and calling froI
exile all but the worst criminals ; an
they further encouraged the practic,
then becoming general, of manumittin
slaves in remembrance of the death {
= Christ, by allowing the courts and magi
trates to perfect the instruments necce
sary to thepurpose. In England and Ir
land, and indeed in some portions of I'll
United States, Good Friday is made
legal holiday and in England the pra
tice of breakfasting on hot-cross buns O
this day is almost universal. In thl
country, in addition to the regular o.
servanc2 of the day by the Protestal
Episcopal and the Roman Cathol
churches, especial services are held
the Lutheran and Reformed churche
and many Methodists observe the d'
likewise The crucifxion of Christ to,
place on Friday, the 3d of April, 33.