Good Friday in the Greek Orthodox Church

Frank Saris

American Religious Texts

Professor Steidl

Blog Post

Sacred Text: Good Friday Procession

Good Friday in the Greek Orthodox Church

Easter is the biggest tradition in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God used his Son to free the bonds of humanity from the devil through the pain of dying on the cross. Greek Orthodox Christians go through a vigorous fast for fifty days and on the last week there is thirty hours of church to celebrate this amazing holiday.

On Good Friday it is purely mournful. People try to refrain from listening to music, watching television, and we follow a strict fast. In church on Good Friday there is a “funeral service”.  The priest and the alter boys take a wooden structure with an icon of Jesus, usually made of cloth, called the Επιτάφιος (epitaphios). This structure symbolizes the burial of Jesus Christ in the stone grave. This wooden structure is then carried outside, either around the church or around the block of the church. In my video it goes around the courtyard of the church. The presentation consists of the priest and the people chanting together in unison, asking God to forgive them for their sin and to help them through their lives. It also thanks God for the sacrifice of his Son. The chants are usually sung in a mournful and grieving tone. The first chant is called the Τρισάγιον or "Thrice Holy". It says “God is Holy”, and is showing the power of God and as a text it is asking him to help us in our endeavors. This chant commemorates how Jesus did not split his humanity and divinity all for the safety of the future generations of Christians. The second chant is asking God to have mercy on us, Κύριε, ἐλέησον (Kýrie eléison). Through Good Friday we show the power of God and thank him for what was done for humanity. We mourn the death of Jesus Christ but are not entirely grief stricten because we know that He is doing this to save us. The after the procession around the courtyard everyone in church walks under the epitafios as a symbol from death to life . After everyone walks under the epitafios, the cloth icon goes around the church and then is place at the alter. Before leaving people go to the epitafios, get a flower and kiss the icon.

As a text we can see that the people are all dressed in suits or dresses. This shows reverence for the House of God and for the funeral presentation. The people sing in a mournful tone with their heads down, praying in their heads, and singing loudly. This brings the community together, people with the same values, having sad emotions together. The candles show light in the darkness, and on Saturday the candles are used for the Resurrection ceremony. The chants can also be read as mournful through the tone and mannerisms of the priest and people. The priest sings and the people chant back, showing a conversation to represent like mindedness. The types of processions, outside then inside, shows the severity of the sacrifice, when the icon passes we do our cross. As American we can see the Greek Orthodox church americanized in their church services. In Greece there are no pews to sit in, people stand for all of church. They also translate some verses for the Americans that do not have a strong Greek tongue.