Orthodox Christians mark Good Friday in Georgia

Orthodox Christians in Georgia are observing Good Friday today, also known locally as Red Friday, one of the most solemn and spiritually significant days in the Christian calendar.

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion, removal from the cross, and burial of Jesus Christ. According to Orthodox Christian tradition, it is regarded as the strictest fasting day of the year.

Many believers observe the day through severe fasting, with some abstaining from food entirely throughout the day with the blessing of their priest, while others consume only bread and water.

No Divine Liturgy is celebrated on Good Friday, as the Church teaches that this was the day Christ sacrificed Himself for the salvation of humanity. Instead, churches hold special services including the Royal Hours, during which Gospel readings recount the Passion and suffering of Christ.

A central Good Friday service, dedicated to Christ’s removal from the cross and burial, is traditionally held at around 2:00 pm, the hour believed to mark the time of His death on the cross.

Before the service begins, a raised platform decorated with flowers - symbolising Christ’s tomb - is prepared in the centre of the church. Clergy then carry the Epitaphios, an embroidered cloth depicting Christ laid in the tomb, from the altar in a solemn procession accompanied by hymns and prayers, before placing it within the symbolic tomb.

Worshippers and clergy then bow before the Epitaphios and venerate it in remembrance of Christ’s suffering and burial.

According to Orthodox tradition, the Epitaphios remains in the centre of the church for three incomplete days, symbolising the three days Christ spent in the tomb before His Resurrection.

Traditionally, red Easter eggs are also dyed before sunset on Good Friday. In Christian symbolism, the egg represents life, while the red colour signifies the blood of Christ, through which believers hold that humanity was granted eternal life.