Easter Friday

Easter Friday or Bright Friday is the Friday after the Christian festival of Easter. It is sometimes erroneously confused with Good Friday.

Western Christianity

The date of Easter Friday changes from year to year, following the changing date of Easter Week. In 2007 it fell on 13 April, In 2008 it fell on 28 March.

Eastern Christianity

In the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite, this day is referred to as "Bright Friday". All of the services for Pascha (Easter) are repeated every day of Bright Week (Easter Week), except for the hymns from the Octoechos. On Bright Friday, the Resurrection hymns from the Octoechos are taken from Tone Six.

In addition to the Paschal hymns, propers in honour of the icon of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary), the "Life-giving Spring" are chanted on Bright Friday, and there is customarily a Lesser Blessing of Waters.

Because the date of Pascha is moveable, Bright Friday is a part of the Paschal cycle, and changes from year to year. Eastern Christianity calculates the date of Easter differently from the West (see Computus for details). In 2007 it fell on April 13 (March 31 Old Style), in 2008 it fell on May 2 (April 19).

ee also

*Easter Monday
*Easter Saturday

External links

* [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=32 Bright Friday: The Life Giving Spring of the Mother of God] Orthodox icon and synaxarion