Tomorrow is Good Friday.
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. So despite its name, Good Friday is a day for sombre reflection.
Each Friday before Easter, Christians solemnly honour the way Jesus suffered and died for their sins.
They may attend a service that recounts Jesus’ painful crucifixion, and must abstain from eating or consuming meat.
Normally, Good Friday services are well attended. However, there is a change in this year’s celebration due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has allowed churches in Sarawak to open during the Holy Week under strict standard operating procedures (SOPs). For the Holy Week starting from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, churches are allowed to hold services for up to a maximum of 20 assigned persons.
Meanwhile, churches and cathedrals in the orange and red zones remain closed to the public.
Churches and cathedrals in the green and yellow zones are allowed to open up to 50 percent of their capacity with at least one metre of physical distancing.
Given this, devoted Christians are expected to tune in to live broadcasts of Good Friday services from the comfort of their own home.
Good Friday also marks the end of a 40-day fasting and abstinence for Christians, called the period of Lent.
Christians regard Good Friday as the day when good prevailed over evil and love over hatred which culminates in the celebration of Easter Sunday when the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
