Good Friday Etiquette

They had at the Last Supper so no reason to ban it on Good Friday. I don't think they had paella but none of the Gospels gives the menu, only mentioning bread.

Absent - the fish thing is kind of symbolic I always thought. Certainly not biblical.

The last supper, which was the Thursday meal, was the Passover meal. No fish, but lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread and so on, all with deeply symbolic meanings to remind the Jewish people of their exile and passage to the promised land. Good Friday is the commemoration of the crucifixion and the tradition of the church (which still obtains) is one of fasting and abstinence. In continental Europe salt fish is often served, but the point is that it should be day of prayer and contemplation and no self indulgence.

The Catholic priests I used to know were mainly fond of a tipple. The first miracle of Jesus was turning the water into wine at the wedding at Cana. I could have done with him at my daughters' weddings!

Nothing wrong with fish fingers Gally . Spread with tomato ketchup (Heinz of course) delicious nursery dinner !

When we were younger the no meat on Good Friday was ridgedly stuck to, but people seem much more relaxed over it now.
But I only have fish on Good Friday and no I am not religious but I suppose
the childhood rules are more deeply imbedded than I thought.

I'm making fish pie tonight as I was brought up to have fish on Good Friday.

The fish pie comes with wine of course!

It isn't "ettiquette". It's a requirement of the Catholic Church which a lot of non-catholics just happen to follow. Jesus sacrificed his flesh on Good Friday so abstinence from eating meat is the norm.

For years when the children were small we all had fish fingers, chips and baked beans at midday. Now we still do. Family custom. (love fish fingers)

Re wine. You have to remember that wine in those days was a lot thinner and les alcoholic than it is now! That's why they could swig so much.

I thought the fish on Fridays thing was obsolete, like limbo?

dunno

I think many people adhere to the letter and not to the spirit of the rule - the original idea was surely to make some kind of sacrifice by not indulging in meat, but replacing it with fish, which is often more expensive, seems a bit of a cop-out to me.

Actually, I don't think it is for a lot of people.

Mind you, we always have fish on fridays anyway. We just go a bit down market on Good Friday.

Here in France it is not even a bank holiday. Work as normal. We forgot to make hot cross buns (i normally take them round the village), so will have to do it Sunday. As it isn't a tradition here no one will know the difference.

Mamie it is not a bank holiday here either but is usally a day off. A technical difference only as far as I can see.

Good Friday always meant Fish and Chips from one of our two excellent local chippies. As a child it was my job to go and order them and wait while they were cooked. While I was waiting I would be given a small cone of paper with a few steaming hot chips to eat whilst my order was cooked.

I am not religious but I always abstain from eating meat on this day. For our evening meal we are having baked salmon with fresh veggies.

As we eat fish three or four times a week in any case, we might well eat fish this evening too. I haven't given it any thought yet – I am still digesting breakfast.

We're having roast chicken.

Moved I always thought Good Friday was a bank holiday? Just Googled and it lists today as such. Are you outside Engand?

Yes Movedalot, I can remember OH having to work on Good Friday when he was with an American owned company, because it wasn't a holiday.
We are having Game Pudding to use up pack of game and some suet (both from a trip to the UK). Will probably add a dash of port and some quince jelly. We are working on major building projects in the garden all day and it is fine but freeeezing cold.

The UK used to have very few bank holidays but three were added a few years ago. These apply to the whole of the UK and there are additional days in the 'fringe' nations: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May bank holiday, Late Spring Bank Holiday, August Bank Holiday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day.
I counted 13 for France, including today. (Courtesy of google).

I think the difference is between public holidays and bank holidays. I remember when car parks were free on BHs and people got ticketed on Good Friday because it wasn't a BH.

Definitely not one today Greatnan, people are at work here. Monday is a holiday and the shops are shut.