NON-RELIGIOUS GOOD FRIDAY TRADITIONS

Good Friday is a holy day for reverent activities for some, and just a three-day holiday for the non-religious in countries where it is a legal holiday. Countries with a strong Christian tradition where it is a legal holiday include Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, the Phillippines, Mexico, Venezula, the countries of the Caribbean, Germany, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Ireland, a mostly Catholic country, forbids alcohol being sold on Good Friday. It is not an official bank holiday although many banks and work offices are closed.

For many of the children in England. Good Friday is a day for games such as skipping and marbles. Gardening is a popular activity among adults.

In Germany theater performances and events which feature public dancing are illegal, but movies and television are not affected.

In South Africa the government regulates by law that government offices, schools and other businesses are closed on Good Friday. Buying and selling of alcohol is forbidden.

In India it is a central government as well as a state holiday. The stock market is closed. Most schools are closed.

In Muslim-majority Indonesia it is a national holiday. All schools, government offices and some businesses are closed by law. Many newspapers do not publish on this day.

In Bermuda it is a non-religious tradition to fly handmade kites, although the shape of the kite and the use of wood may symbolize the cross.

In the U.S., where it is not a government holiday, it may only mean baseball's opening day of a favorite team for the non-religious. Religious leaders say they believe baseball teams should be more respectful of the Christian day. They wonder if baseball teams consider the security guards and stadium workers forced to work on this holy day.

Private businesses may or may not close for Good Friday. The stock market, however, is closed. The postal service operates and banks do not close.

American adults who check "no religion" on questionnaires are now up to 750,000. Only a small percentage of these call themselves atheists or agnostics.

For those who are not religious but like to keep the old customs, or traditions they grew up with, Good Friday is a day to abstain from meat and eat fish. It is also a day for making or purchasing hot cross buns. In England, some people hold on to the hot cross buns for a year or more to bring luck. And there are records from the 1920's that an egg laid on Good Friday will stay fresh all year.

For many in the U.S. a non-religious tradition is to clean the house for Easter or to do spring cleaning on Good Friday. There is a superstition that planting seeds (crops not flowers) will bring a blessing on a family that plants on Good Friday. For many it is a good day to get a haircut.

Most people who are not religious will be found on Good Friday shopping for Easter finery, taking the children to visit the Easter Bunny, buying candy such as jelly beans and marshmallow peeps for the children's Easter baskets, and dyeing and coloring eggs to hide on Easter.

Easter has always had a non-religious aspect to it. The word Easter comes from "Eastre" (also known as Ostara), a Germanic Goddess who symbolizes the arrival of spring. The pagan festival of Eastre occurred at the same time as Holy Week and Easter and was instituted by the ancient Saxons.

The Easter Bunny comes from the pagan tradition of worshipping the Goddess Eastre through her symbol, the rabbit. Rabbits symbolize fertility in the rites of spring.

Exchanging eggs in the springtime was a centuries old custom when Christians first celebrated Easter. The egg has long been a symbol of rebirth. The Christians adapted the custom of giving and receiving eggs from the pagan custom.

For many Good Friday is the ideal day to leave on a three-day vacation or trip.

Good Friday falls on the spring equinox or close to it. There is a long tradition of celebrating the end of winter on this date.

New Good Friday traditions may begin within a family that is starting fresh after a loss of a loved one. For example, visiting the cemetery may become a tradition.
Other new traditions may include volunteering, creating crafts, and helping the children with their Easter drawings and paintings.