Quora Answer: Why Do We Celebrate Good Friday & Easter?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Why do we celebrate Good Friday and Easter?” 

Good Friday is the culmination of the season of Lent in the liturgical calendar.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday for the Catholics and many Protestant churches, or Clean Monday for the Orthodox church.  It covers a period of approximately six weeks before Easter Sunday, consisting of 40 days and 6 Sundays.  The ending of Lent is the Friday of Sorrows, building up to the crucifixion on Good Friday, before becoming a joyful celebration on Easter Sunday. 

Good Friday is the commemoration of the Passion of Christ, and the Crucifixion.  Without the Vicarious Sacrifice of Jesus (a.s.), there is no basis to Trinitarian Christian theology, since there needs to be a Vicarious Sacrifice for there to be Salvation and triumph over death.  In the Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran tradition, the Easter Triduum is a three-day event that begins with the entrance hymn of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.  After this Maundy Thursday evening celebration, the consecrated hosts are taken from the altar solemnly to a place of reposition, where the faithful are invited to worship the “Body of Christ”.  On the next day, the liturgical commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ is celebrated at 1500h or later. 

Holy Week and the season of Lent, end with Easter Vigil at sundown on Holy Saturday or on the morning of Easter Sunday.  It is custom for some churches to hold sunrise services, which include open air celebrations in some places.  In the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and many Anglican churches, the priest's vestments are violet during the season of Lent.  On the fourth Sunday in Lent, pink vestments may be worn in lieu of violet.  On holy days, the colour proper to the day is worn.  Easter is the celebration of the Resurrection, and triumph over death.  It is Easter that is the most important liturgical festival in Christianity, not Christmas.