Generations have enjoyed fish for their tea on Good Friday, but some may not know the reasoning behind this.
For some families, eating fish on the Friday of the Easter weekend is as normal as devouring a roast dinner and lots of chocolate eggs on the Sunday. Easter is first and foremost a Christian festival and cultural holiday, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The reason why we eat fish on Good Friday ties into this. Christians believe Jesus was executed on Good Friday and died for our sins, sacrificing his flesh.
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Therefore, the Church encourages Jesus Christ’s followers to abstain from eating meaty flesh on the anniversary of his death. Fish is perceived to be a different kind of flesh, as it comes from the sea.
Fish shapes are also said to have been used as a secret symbol by Christians to identify each other when their religion was banned. It’s also believed that many of Christ’s followers were fishermen, too.
Whether religious or not, many people will eat fish on Good Friday to join in with the national traditional. Some may enjoy a home-cooked meal centred around a piece of fish, while others will head to their local chippy.
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