Friday traditions

Friday around the world

Friday is the day with the most weekly customs of faith. For Muslims it is Jumu'ah, when the midday congregational prayer and a sermon are held at the mosque, followed in many places by a family meal, and in the Maghreb couscous is the Friday dish. At sunset Jews welcome Shabbat with candles, wine and bread, which makes Friday evening the heart of the Jewish week. Christians remember the crucifixion on Good Friday, and many Catholics keep Fridays without meat, so fish has long been the Friday meal. In India, Friday is dedicated to the goddess in the forms of Lakshmi, Durga and Santoshi Mata, with fasts and flowers. In the English-speaking world, Friday the 13th is thought unlucky.

Customs of Friday

• Friday prayer 🇸🇦🇪🇬🇹🇷🇵🇰🇮🇩🇲🇦🇮🇷🇳🇬: The congregational Jumu'ah prayer and sermon at the mosque, a day of gathering for Muslims.
• Shabbat 🇮🇱🇺🇸🇬🇧🇫🇷🇦🇷: The Jewish day of rest begins at sunset on Friday with candles, kiddush wine and challah.
• Fish on Friday 🇮🇪🇬🇧🇺🇸🇮🇹🇵🇹: The Catholic custom of abstaining from meat on Fridays, giving rise to fish suppers.
• Couscous 🇲🇦🇩🇿🇹🇳🇱🇾: Friday couscous, shared by families after the midday prayer, is a weekly ritual of the Maghreb.
• Santoshi Mata 🇮🇳: Devotees fast on sixteen Fridays, eating no sour food, and offer chickpeas and jaggery.
• Varalakshmi Vratam 🇮🇳: A Friday in Shravan on which women worship Lakshmi for the family's wellbeing.
• Good Friday 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇪🇸🇵🇭🇲🇽🇩🇪: The solemn commemoration of the crucifixion.
• Friday the 13th 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇦🇺: The superstition that the date is unlucky.

On EveryParampara

Good FridayThe solemn commemoration of the crucifixion.Friday the 13thThe superstition that the date is unlucky.

More on Friday

🇬🇧 South Queensferry, United KingdomThe Burryman A man clad in burdock burrs walks a Scottish town for a day, bringing luck as he goesFolklore 🇧🇲 BermudaBermuda kite Flying bright geometric kites on Good Friday across Bermuda to mark EasterCraft 🇵🇸 Jerusalem, Palestine and 2 moreStations of the CrossVia Crucis A Christian prayer journey following fourteen moments of the Passion of JesusSpiritual 🇳🇿 New ZealandMatariki The Māori New Year marked by the midwinter rising of the Pleiades clusterSeasonal 🇪🇨 Quito, EcuadorFanesca Ecuador's Holy Week soup of grains, beans and salt cod, made for Good FridayTable custom · Lunch 🇵🇸 Jericho, PalestineNabi Musaٱلنَّبِي مُوْسَى An annual Palestinian Muslim pilgrimage and festival honoring the prophet MosesSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChapchar KutChapchâr Kût A spring festival of dance and food kept by the Mizo people in Mizoram, India.Festival 🇹🇹 Port of Spain, Trinidad and TobagoCanboulay An early Trinidadian celebration that shaped modern Carnival and calypso musicFestival 🇮🇱 IsraelKiddushקידוש A blessing over wine or grape juice that marks Shabbat and festivals as holySpiritual · Tea, coffee and drinking ceremonies 🇫🇷 France and 5 moreFeast of the Sacred HeartSollemnitas Sacratissimi Cordis Iesu A Catholic holy day honoring Christ's love and mercy, observed in early summerSpiritual 🇮🇱 Jerusalem, Israel and 5 moreKiddush Levanahקידוש לבנה A Jewish ritual service held after the new moon to bless God for the lunar cycle and seek protection.Spiritual 🇬🇧 Chipping Campden, United KingdomCotswold Olimpick Games Races, wrestling and shin-kicking on a Cotswold hillside, held since about 1612Game 🇮🇱 Safed, IsraelShalom Aleichemשָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם A traditional song sung on Friday night to welcome Sabbath angels into the homeSpiritual 🇩🇿 AlgeriaWezeeaوزيعة A communal meat-sharing custom fostering rural solidarity across AlgeriaSpiritual · Feasts and festival meals 🇬🇧 Worldham, United Kingdom and 5 moreJalsa Salanaجلسہ سالانہ A three-day annual assembly for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, featuring lectures, prayers and communal meals.Festival · Feasts and festival meals 🇩🇪 Weingarten, Germany and 1 moreBlutritt An equestrian pilgrimage across southern Germany honoring a relic of the Holy BloodSpiritual