Good Friday
Good Friday is a public holiday in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. On Good Friday, Christians remember the day when Jesus was crucified on a cross.
Jesus was arrested and was tried, in a mock trial. He was handed over to the Roman soldiers to be beaten and flogged with whips. They also thrust a crown of long, sharp thorns upon his head. Jesus was forced to carry his own cross on the trek from the city to Skull Hill. He was so weak after being beaten that a man was pulled from the crowd and made to carry Jesus' cross up the hill. Jesus was nailed to the cross and two other criminals were crucified with him. Their crosses were placed on either side of him. A sign above Jesus read "The King of the Jews."
Since the early nineteenth century, Good Friday and Christmas Day were the only two days of leisure which were almost universally granted to working people. Good Friday today is a public holiday in much of the UK. Many businesses are closed on Good Friday.
Many churches throughout the UK hold a special service. This may be a communion service in the evening or a time of prayer during the day, especially around 3 o'clock as that is about the time of day when Jesus died.
It is traditional to eat warm 'hot cross buns' on Good Friday. Hot Cross Buns with their combination of spicy, sweet and fruity flavours have long been an Easter tradition. The pastry cross on top of the buns symbolises and reminds Christians of the cross that Jesus was killed on. It is also traditional to eat fish on Good Friday instead of meat.
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is a public holiday in much of the UK, and while it has little religious significance, it is the occasion for numerous secular customs.
