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Original poster

Do you eat meat on Good Friday?

111 replies

BocolateChiscuit · 19/04/2019 18:42

I’m not a Christian but was brought up going to Sunday school etc with my grandparents. Neither of my parents are religious at all either but we were brought up that you don’t eat meat on Good Friday. Every year I have this battle with myself! It’s irrational I know and my teen DS has been laughing when I suggested we have fish today saying ‘but you don’t even believe in God!’ He’s right I know but it’s almost become a weird superstition to me now. I’m not even superstitious! Maybe just odd? Grin

OP posts:
Kummerspeck · 19/04/2019 21:44

Goodness me there'll be a lot of you in Hell! Grin
I am not strictly religious but was brought up with the knowledge that meat on any Friday was a sin but meat on Good Friday meant straight to Hell! I haven't eaten meat today just to be on the safe side but the rest of the family have had a barbecue which could put a bit of a dampener on my heavenly experiences

I was also brought up to know that washing on a Sunday or any Holy Day is also a sin and would lead to neighbours tutting like Les Dawson and saying "She's no better than she ought to be, that one" Grin

KateyKube · 19/04/2019 21:50

I always have fish for lunch on Good Friday and I’m atheist. It’s just a tradition. Like having lamb and chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday, turkey at Christmas and cake on your birthday. I had minced beef for dinner though!

CherryPavlova · 19/04/2019 21:51

SilverySurfer Does God care? My God made us custodians of the earth. A meat free day a week has to reduce the impact of beef and lamb farming on greenhouse gases.

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Events & celebrations
LadyMonicaBaddingham · 19/04/2019 21:53

It just seems wrong somehow, even though I fully accept that fish is not a vegetable...

NeverSayFreelance · 19/04/2019 22:01

I've never heard of this! I had a ham sandwich for lunch then chicken for tea Grin but I'm not religious and neither is my family so I'm not up on my Easter traditions.

InglouriousBasterd · 19/04/2019 22:09

I forgot. Had chicken and an Easter egg....waves to the devil

Clawdy · 19/04/2019 22:31

We weren't remotely religious, never went to church, but I once said to my mum " Why do some people not eat meat on Good Friday? " She said " Oh , they say if you eat meat on Good Friday, it turns into Jesus's flesh while you're eating it...." ! My little sister and I refused to eat meat on Good Friday ever again!

DinosApple · 19/04/2019 22:35

No, but I am religious (Catholic).

I don't do meat on Fridays either, or lots of days tbh as edging towards veggie slowly. The kids school does Meat Free Fridays and it's a CofE school.

AnnieOH1 · 19/04/2019 22:39

My great grandfather was lapsed Catholic (married a protestant) and it is something that has been passed on as a family tradition to grandparents who were high day and holiday C of E, parents who are agnostic and then us who go week in and week out despite it not being part of our church tradition. It's also an excuse to get a take out which we did ;)

BlackPrism · 19/04/2019 22:45

I had a pepperoni pizza so I suppose I do...

RaininSummer · 19/04/2019 22:48

Well I had fish and chips but am not religious and it actually barely registered that it was Good Friday as I always have Friday off work. I don't think I know anybody who would observe that tradition tbh.

SuperNoodly · 19/04/2019 22:50

We weren’t religious growing up (parents left the Catholic Church before I was born) but ‘fish on Fridays’ was always the norm anyway. Just habit I suppose. Good Fridays certainly.

Everytimeref · 19/04/2019 22:53

Have always avoided meat on Good Friday. Family tradition more than religious belief. My DGF would be meatless all day until about 10pm when he would have a bacon sandwich!

Sakura7 · 19/04/2019 23:28

No but that's just by chance rather than intent. I grew up Catholic but don't believe in any of it now. Until last year it was illegal to even buy alcohol on GF where I live, so I quite enjoyed picking up my bottle of wine with my shopping earlier.

I do agree that it would be good to encourage at least one meat free day per week, but it should be for health and environmental reasons rather than religious ones.

ProfessorofPerspective · 19/04/2019 23:34

We always have fish and chips on Good Friday. It's what Jesus would have wanted.

ProfessorofPerspective · 19/04/2019 23:35

Funnily enough, we had a big family get together today and we were asking the same question - do other people have a fish and chip takeaway on Good Friday. The answer is, that we are not alone!

WillGymForPizza · 19/04/2019 23:37

I was brought up like this. My DM is very anal about it and absolutely will not eat anything other than fish on Good Friday. She grew up in a religious family ( CofE and not Catholic) but hasn't actually set foot in a church for years, so IMO is massively hypocritical.

NoWordForFluffy · 19/04/2019 23:39

Yep. Brought up Baptist so don't do anything like this. I do drink though, so I'm a slightly very failed Baptist!

wellhelloyou · 19/04/2019 23:46

No. We had a macaroni cheese, tomatoes and fresh chunk of bread night! I’m religious but DH is an atheist

crazycatgal · 20/04/2019 00:04

No, I'm not religious but my parents are Catholic and it's a tradition for me now.

Sunhill4 · 20/04/2019 00:11

Definitely very odd given that you and your parents aren't religious?! Why on earth would you even be asking this question?!

uptodatetech · 20/04/2019 00:13

No, I'm Jewish Grin had a lovely sedah

mathanxiety · 20/04/2019 01:02

I am pretty sure that practicing Catholics are not obliged to abstain from meat every Friday even outside of Lent.

Maybe it depends on the diocese? It's not an obligation where I am but fasting and abstinence are obligatory on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday here, and abstinence from meat on Lenten Fridays. My church does a fish fry on Lenten Fridays.

I have never heard of not doing laundry on Good Friday.

I observe the obligations.

Thatsnotmyotter · 20/04/2019 01:04

No meat for us here today although it’s just a coincidence!

StillNotMe · 20/04/2019 02:39

No meat on Good Friday. We had fish.