Good Friday in Canada and the traditions of this holiday

Good Friday is a public holiday in most provinces of Canada, except for Quebec, where this day is celebrated partially. It is the Friday of Holy Week dedicated to the remembrance of Christ's sufferings that preceded his resurrection from the dead. Officially, Canada does not have a state religion and adheres to cultural and religious pluralism, but the majority of the country's population identifies themselves as Christians and celebrates the holidays of this religion.

This is a statutory holiday, during which the population rests, and schools and most businesses do not operate. In Quebec, employers have the right to choose whether to give their employees a day off on Friday or the Monday after Easter.

Faithful Christians always attend church services. For them, this is a day of sorrow, but it is not without small traditional treats – cross buns. These are small sweet buns with raisins, currants, and other dried fruits. The top of such buns is marked with a cross and covered with sugar icing. The cross can be cut into the bun or marked with a special dough that remains pale even after baking. These treats are eaten like ordinary buns or toasted with butter.

For Canadians who are not Christians, Good Friday marks the beginning of a three or four-day weekend. It is a long-awaited spring break, during which it is customary to visit family and friends. Many take a short vacation. And Canadians also have a small feast: Easter dinners are second only to Christmas and Thanksgiving.

On this day, it is also customary to dye eggs. Often this is done with special dyes, but some adhere to the old tradition: they dye hard-boiled eggs with beet juice and rub them with fat for shine.

Families with children visit petting zoos during these days to feed and pet rabbits. During Easter, these rodents are often given as pets, but authorities ask people to be responsible and adopt such pets only when they are ready to take care of them seriously.

And it's also the best time of year for chocolate lovers – a huge variety of it is sold, from ordinary chocolate candies to rabbit and Easter egg figurines. Some families hide these gifts so that children can search for them. This tradition is called the Easter egg hunt.