Karen Wils photo An old photo of my parents and sister dying Easter eggs.

ESCANABA — Good Friday is a somber day.

It is the day that Christians recall the passion and death of Jesus. Churches are traditionally full for Good Friday services.

Last year the COVID-19 pandemic forced churches to be quiet. Still, many of us found the Good Friday message via the computer or television. The solemn importance of Holy Week and Good Friday is steeped in family traditions, too. Some of the comforting rituals of the last Friday of lent are kind of fun.

Good Friday at our house meant grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup at lunch time. It was a simple, somewhat hurried meal. Many folks worked only half a day on Good Friday and then businesses closed for the afternoon.

School was out for the Easter or spring break. The grilled cheese and tomato soup were gulped quickly and then everyone washed hands and face and headed to church.

The service for us Catholics was long with readings of the passion and without music. Voices chanted the refrains.

Even the weather often seemed to copy the church season. It was gloomy and gray until afternoon, and then a hint of spring sunshine came out.

After church, it felt great to run around in tennis shoes. Good Friday meant it was time for snow boots to be gone.

Haircuts for the boys and hair up in rollers for the gals were the norm for the days before Easter. Mom saw to it that everyone had “Sunday best” clothes washed and ironed and ready to go. The boys had their shoes polished.

Good Friday was a time to get down on your knees at church as well as at home. Floors needed scrubbing and waxing because company was coming for Easter. Mom had a job for each of us either sprucing up the house or prepping food for our big Easter brunch.

Special Easter foods had to be prepared like homemade sausage, baked beans, homemade bread and coffee cakes.

And of course some time was set aside to dye Easter eggs. Decorating eggs was a big deal at my house. My mother was of Russian decent, and we would always have a traditional Russian Easter egg fight. Hard boiled eggs were tapped together to see who had the strongest egg.

This year’s Easter should be a bit more joyful after last year’s total shutdown due to COVID-19.

I pray that your Good Friday is good and that your Easter is Great! Christos vos krese!

“Christ is risen.”

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.