The worst disgrace that could befall an altar boy on Good Friday was usually sparked off by stockings with holes. Such a mishap rarely went unnoticed during the liturgy, since the pastor and his altar boys had to remove their shoes before kneeling at the altar. Anyone who hadn’t changed their socks in time had their cheese feet sticking out of the holes in front of the eyes of the faithful.
In general, Holy Week was a time of hard trials. And yet no smartphone can generate the stark feelings that once accompanied the Kartage. There was something mystical in the air, if only because the bells, those centuries-old companions of everyday life, fell silent. In addition, the Holy Sepulcher with its sparkling balls in the middle of the church, which was darkened with a heavy cloth. Surrounded by a sublime stillness, the visitors were swept up by an inkling of transcendence, to which one was not immune even with torn socks.
It wasn’t hard to feel embarrassed in that aura of mystery. During the Good Friday liturgy, custom dictated a reverent approach to the sanctuary, where the figure of the Crucified waited for the wounds on his hands, feet and forehead to be rubbed open in front of everyone. Some adolescents’ faces would blush with embarrassment, especially under the gaze of those girls who were already above things.
Clever youths responded to the warning not to eat meat on Good Friday by hiding a piece of black pudding in good time, which they then secretly ate. They sometimes paid for their sinful behavior with a scuffle, since hungry competitors naturally scented the hiding place.
The ambivalence of Good Friday also shines through in the Passion Play, which was once celebrated in many parishes. The dignity of the day was interpreted very freely, and the spectacle often ended in blood. Even earthly Christs swung their fists, especially if they had previously been lustfully tormented by captors. But even where evil reigns, hope germinates. The Passion Play in Oberammergau was once banned due to excesses, but this did not prevent it from reviving and bringing the village world fame.