Good Friday 2018: It’s Good Friday, but not a happy one!

To get back to the topic at hand, as one Catholic puts it, “It’s probably the ‘Good’ part that leaves people confused.” In most other languages, the prefix used is ‘sacred’ or ‘holy’ and in Hindi, it’s ‘pavitra’ (pure), explains Reverend Dr Donald H R De Souza, Chancellor, Catholic Diocese of Lucknow. But, it’s a good Friday, since it’s the day Jesus Christ died on the cross for the salvation of humankind. The day is usually spent in quiet contemplation and prayer, with the main ceremonies of ‘Way of the Cross’ and ‘Passion of Lord Jesus Christ’ held at 4 pm, the time of the original crucifixion. So, how does one wish or show support to a friend from the community? Says Rev Donald D’Souza, “You can acknowledge the significance of the crucifixion or share good wishes for their prayers.” Good Friday is followed by Holy Saturday, a day of silence, hope and expectation, leading to the Solemn Easter Vigil at night as one awaits Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday, a day of joy and celebration.

The situation is similar during Muharram, when people from the Islamic community are hard pressed to explain to people that it’s not a celebration. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan tells us that the word ‘Muharram’ literally means forbidden. He explains, “Muharram is one of the sacred months of the Islamic calendar. The month is sacred in the sense that during this violence and fighting are forbidden.” On the ritual of self-flagellation associated with it, he explains, “Only some, and not all, Muslims used to mark the day by self-flagellation. The meaning of this self-flagellation is to give a symbolic representation of the tragedy that happened with Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet, in 680 AD at Karbala in Iraq. The flagellation is not an Islamic injunction, and now it has been minimised to a great extent and is gradually coming to an end with people only lightly stroking themselves. In present times, this flagellation is performed in the symbolic sense, and not in the literal manner in which it used to happen earlier.”

How can friends of Muslims wish them and help them commemorate the occasion? Maulana suggests, “The greeting that Muslims’ friends can use is: ‘Good Muharram!’ This is because Muharram is not only a tragedy, but also was martyrdom. Muslims and their friends can commemorate the event by reminding one another that Husayn made a great sacrifice in the seventh century, but now we are living in a different age and there is no need for making such sacrifice. The age of oppression is over. From this perspective, people can wish each other: ‘Happy Muharram!’”

A young Muslim recalls marking the month of Muharram at his family home with acts of charity, hosting an open house that offers food to people of all faiths. “We put up ‘sharbat’ stalls, contribute to madarsas and people in the area know that anybody can walk in for a meal during this period,” he says.

So, remember to hold your horses on Good Friday, since the joys of Easter will come around soon enough! And whatever our faiths, a little introspection never hurt anybody.

(The writer is an editorial consultant and co-founder of The Goodwill Project. She tweets @anuvee). Views expressed are personal.