Participating in a Somber Greek Orthodox Good Friday

In the Greek Orthodox tradition, the events of Good Friday begin late Thursday night, and proceed step by step with elaborate rituals and incense-filled services. This clip captures the intensity.

On Good Friday morning, a service is held during which the priest removes Christ from the cross. Christ is covered in a shroud and carried through the congregation. Disappearing behind the iconostasis, the body re-emerges as an image on a shroud. The priest carries the shroud to be placed in a flower-bedecked tomb. As flowers are a big part of any Greek burial, the priest strews flowers upon Christ, and then showers petals on all gathered. In this clip, notice the empty cross and the flower-covered tomb awaiting the arrival of Jesus' shroud.