There's just something about Good Friday.

[RandySF]

Born and raised in the Great Lakes region, I remember having Good Friday off at (public) school, college and everywhere I worked. So even now, in my "enlightened" years as agnostic Californian, it feels so strange, even offensive, to be working tomorrow I guess there are some things that never leave you.

[bdtrppr6]

1. back when Good Friday

was a high Christian holiday. not so much anymore, gotta keep them peasants movin'! holidays be damned!

we celebrate Oester more than Hayzeus. much easier to believe in a chocolate-egg laying rabbit.

wait.



that's not chocolate!

[Ohiya]

2. I just heard that this year, the pubs in Ireland are allowed...

to be open for the first time on Good Friday.

[OnDoutside]

3. Yes, the first time since 1927 ! You wouldn't believe the lengths people

would go to, to get a drink on Good Friday .... I remember one Ireland to France ferry used to be free on a Friday, so they sold tickets for a day trip into international the waters where there were no restrictions ! Another was that you could get into the train station bar, if you had a ticket for a destination, so the bar would be packed with ticket holders for the next train station !

[Ohiya]

5. Thanks, that's interesting.

[malaise]

12. This is the longest holiday weekend in many former British countries

We have a Public Holiday today and a Public Holiday on Monday. Back in the day nothing except religious services happened before 5.00pm on Good Friday. The amount of superstition associated with frolicking on the day was mind-blowing.

It's clearly changing because people are organizing events these days. Now there are beach parties, reggae and dancehall concerts and gatherings everywhere.

[OnDoutside]

13. I remember the 70s and 80s where there was nothing open here. Today, almost everything is

open, which i much prefer !!!

[malaise]

15. Very little opens here today or Monday

In fact many places shut down until Tuesday because folks love to head for the coast.

We never go to the coast on this weekend because everyone you really don't want to see is there.

[OnDoutside]

18. A holiday at home ! Myself and my son are off with his rugby club

team next Friday to the South of France, but even though the temp will be 18c, the wind coming off the Pyrenees will mean the temp will be about 9c.

[malaise]

20. Enjoy

[jberryhill]

21. Over in Cayman...

Easter weekend is the only time that camping is allowed, and many Cayman families take to the beaches through Monday. They just welcomed their new governor, and had to explain to him that the tent city on the beach next to the governor’s house is just once a year.

[LeftInTX]

24. This is the only weekend that our city parks allow camping and alcohol.

I'm in San Antonio.

It is a tradition for locals to stake out and fight over camping spots. The parks get crowded with tents. There is drinking, loud music and bar b que.

I don't understand it.

[jberryhill]

25. Lol... same thing in Cayman

Some folks love it. Some folks hate it.

[raven mad]

34. And some of the best camping areas anywhere!

Even kind to crazy-ass Alaskan bikers headed (eventually) to Florida. Yep, did the tourist and food thing (spouse still doesn't believe I ate all those hot peppers. ENJOY!

[malaise]

29. Hahahaha

That's good

[Maeve]

17. That's as bad as Oklahoma was when you couldn't buy liquor by the drink EXCEPT

if you had a hotel key, that meant you were traveling so couldn't be expected to have your own bottle--lots of bars rented you a hotel key in case they were raided! (The law forced you to buy a bottle and have the bar pour it for you, which was ok if you were at your 'usual' establishment, since you couldn't carry it away partially full--hence the work-around) They changed it back in the '80's.

[OnDoutside]

19. That's pretty bad alright ! Bars in sports clubs were able to open for 4 hours, so clubs close to

each other used to stagger the opening, so you could drink for a lot of the day if you wished, but you had to become a temporary member !

[stopbush]

33. Thats nothing compared to the lengths religion will go to

to impose their fantasies on secular society.

[OnDoutside]

4. I still get the evil eye from my wife for wanting sausages and rashers on

Good Friday.

[Lochloosa]

7. It's the aftermath.

[OnDoutside]

11. It's easier to seek forgiveness than permission !

[malaise]

14. My favorite childhood memory of Good Friday

Mom asked me to take some freshly baked hot cross buns to our neighbor. She was in her kitchen seasoning a chicken. I was a shocked pre-teen and asked her how they was going to eat chicken and not fish on the day. She laughed and said as seriously as a judge, 'Lord if you want us to eat fish today, change this fowl to fish'.
I still laugh and it stayed with me forever.

[OnDoutside]

16. Excellent.

I still remember the dirty looks "wild" people would get for ordering meat on Good Friday....I even grilled fish fingers for breakfast this morning

[joshdawg]

6. It's just another day.

[DiverDave]

10. Yep

It is

[wishstar]

8. When I moved to NC I was surprised they didn't observe Good Friday, but Easter Monday instead

After I moved south to NC, as a lapsed Catholic, I found it very strange and nonsensical that Easter Monday was the official state holiday unlike all the other states where Good Friday was observed. Apparently starting in 1935 (until ending in 1987), NC's Easter Monday commemoration originated with state employees wanting day off to attend the traditional baseball game between NC State and Wake Forest. So for 52 years NC observed a day for a spring sports rite taking precedence over commemorating Good Friday. In 1987 the official Easter holiday day was changed to Good Friday in NC.

[LeftInTX]

26. It was like that in Texas too.

Now it's Good Friday.

I think in Texas it was for "travel time", since families would go out of town on Easter.

[MaryMagdaline]

9. Moving to Georgia from Maryland as a child

No Good Friday holiday and no Easter vacation. Spring break was a random week. Felt sacrilegious to go to school on Good Friday. Still feels weird to work on Good Friday.

[jberryhill]

22. My annual Good Friday tradition

I used to go to Caesars in Atlantic City to gamble in commemoration of the Roman guards rolling dice for Jesus’ clothes.

[lunasun]

23. Pageantry still goes on in Pilsen Chicago every year @ Stations of the Cross( ( Via Crucis) Friday

https://m.

[BeyondGeography]

27. It is calendar relief for me

This is the longest stretch of the year on the uber-dreary American work calendar without a national holiday. My company doesn't observe MLK or Presidents Day and neither do many others. So we basically go from the 1st of the Year to Memorial Day with no pause. Good Friday is a chance to cope, and it's getting more popular every year as far as I can tell.

[smirkymonkey]

28. We get MLK and President's Day off, but then nothing until Memorial Day and even that is a long

stretch! I feel sorry for you that you have to deal with that extra two months without a break.

We used to get Patriot's Day off (Third Monday in April) which is also the same day the Boston Marathon is run. Patriot's Day is still an official holiday in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine, but our company just decided to give us an extra floating holiday and not make it an official day off for MA residents.

[BeyondGeography]

30. It started with that jive floating holiday thing

"Oh, so YOU'RE taking Monday off? I'll be here." Then as technology evolved and more people worked from home (raises hand) they did away with the earlier holidays completely. People have all sorts of stealth strategies to even the score and protect their mental health, but nothing feels better than a full-on holiday where no one is pinging you.

[smirkymonkey]

32. I know! I am actually wfh today, which beats going in to the office, but I am

still working. It's just nice to be able to sleep a little later and not have to deal w/ the whole showering/grooming/getting dressed thing. I have a very short commute, but it's still nice not to have to go anywhere and eat lunch at home. There are still some people that think they are heroes by showing up even when most people decide to wfh. Everyone has the office martyrs.

[Ohiogal]

31. In NE Ohio

You will find every friggin restaurant packed to the gills ( no pun intended) to get their Good Friday fried fish dinner.

IMO ... If eating fried fish is considered a "sacrifice" and is okey dokey with the Catholic Church....

It sure ain't much of a sacrifice for me, 'cause I love it! I'd eat it every week out of the year, if I wasn't trying to eliminate fried food from my diet.

Although in my parents' generation, it WAS a huge sacrifice, when people routinely ate meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Sometimes my mom fixed us tuna casserole, and boy oh boy did my dad complain about it.