Good Friday celebrations around world mark Jesus’ crucifixion (VIDEO)
A Christian worshiper prays at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the Good Friday on March 29, 2013 in Jerusalem’s Old City, Israel. Good Friday is celebrated by Christians throughout the world as the day Christ was crucified on the cross in the lead up to his resurrection on Easter.
Christian tradition dictates Jesus Christ died today — Good Friday — and marked the occasion across the globe with impassioned, sometimes bloody, ceremonies.
In Jerusalem, thousands retraced the 14 Stations of the Cross along the road to Calvary where Jesus is said to have taken his final steps on his way to be crucified.
The Way of Sorrows through the Old City of Jerusalem is also called Via Dolorosa and was crammed with devotees, some carrying wooden crosses on their shoulders.
“I feel humbled before the Providence of God,” Indian worshiper John Thekkekara told Voice of America.
“This is believed to be the day on which Jesus was crucified. And it is the greatest experience in my life to be here on this day in Jerusalem.”
An American priest from Alabama played the role of Jesus, complete with crown of thorns and fake blood.
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Leonard Mary told The Associated Press that he’s blessed to be in Jerusalem on Good Friday.
“The most perfect love that was ever seen in the world was when Jesus died for us. He showed us the perfection of love,” he said, surrounded by “Roman” guards in full regalia.
Good Friday celebrations give way to Easter Sunday, the day Jesus was resurrected.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis delivered the Passion of the Christ mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Telegraph reported that Francis, who on Thursday washed the feet of young inmates at a youth prison – including Muslims and women —might even carry the cross.
An estimated 60,000 people attended Good Friday in Seville, where ghost-like figures called The Silence set Spain’s celebrations apart.
The hooded figures and hundreds of penitents carry a gilded float with a wooden statue of Jesus that dates back 300 years, Reuters reported.
“Some people like football. Some people like bullfights. We like Holy Week,” Manuel Nunez, 30, told Reuters.
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