The Christian message of Good Friday is that Christ died for us all, his work of reconciliation fulfilled. This makes Good Friday a great day in Christianity. In many languages this is expressed by the name of the day. In several Slavonic languages, and in Hungarian and Estonian the name translates roughly as Great Friday (in Estonian it is suur reede).
In English, the name Good Friday corresponds closely to the idea of it as a great day. In many Romance languages it is known as Holy Friday (for instance, in Italian it is Venerdi Santo – Saint Friday). The Finnish name pitkäperjantai (Long Friday) is a literal translation from the Swedish långfredag. Today, only in Nordic countries is the idea of ‘long’ used to describe it, but old sources show that in Anglo-Saxon English it was also known as Long Friday.
Bible readings for Good Friday tell of the events on Golgotha, from the crucifixion of Jesus to his death. At 3 p.m. a service can be held to mark the death of Jesus (see Jeesuksen kuolinhetken rukoushetki in the Finnish order of service). The evening service on Good Friday is traditionally dedicated to the burial of Jesus, which is also seen as God’s blessing of our own graves as places of rest.
