In Which It Is Good Friday

It was recently Good Friday and the start of a four day bank holiday in the UK. Since all the archives were closed, I decided to participate in some of London's unique Good Friday events.

King's Cross-St. Pancras Ecumenical Walk of Witness:

Following the Cross outside of St. Pancras Station

 The first event on my agenda was this morning procession through the streets of the neighborhoods just south of the King's Cross and St. Pancras railway stations. The walk was organized by members of local churches and lead by members of the clergy carrying a large cross. The walk stopped at a number of "churches," each representing one of the Stations of the Cross. This year's walk began at St. Pancras Church and included stops such as the International Lutheran Student Centre, King's Cross Methodist Church, and Goodenough College. I found the stop at St. Pancras Station, however, to be the most interesting. Since the station has an Anglican chaplain, it was included as one of the neighborhood "churches" we visited. The people in the station seemed quite surprised, and rightly so, by the sight of our little procession passing through. St. Pancras is a busy hub for both commuter and long distance trains, not to mention Eurostar and the Underground. Living in the area, I pass through St. Pancras on a regular basis and I can honestly say that I have never seen anything there before like the Good Friday procession.

About two hours after it started, the walk ended at the Lumen Reformed Church where we were treated to tea and freshly baked hot cross buns. By the time we reached Lumen, there were probably about 30 people in the procession, most of whom were members of the clergy and parishioners from neighborhood churches. It was a very pleasant little walk and an excellent opportunity to meet some of my neighbors, all of whom were quite friendly and chatty.

The Crucifixion on Victoria Street:

Stop number two was another cross walk, though much larger. The Crucifixion began at noon at the Methodist Central Hall, a stone's throw away from Westminster Abbey. The Hall was almost completely packed when I arrived. There were a few prayers and hymns to start. Then a clergyman gave a brief reflection and we hit the pavement, literally. I was expecting the walk to take place on the sidewalk, but the police had cordoned off half of Victoria Street and we walked in the road from the Hall to the Catholic Westminster Cathedral. I have no idea how many people were in the procession, but suffice it to say, I was so far towards the back of the pack that I completely lost sight of the cross until we reached the Cathedral. The whole tone of the journey was markedly different from that of the King's Cross walk. While the local walk felt very much like a group of old friends catching up with one another, the Crucifixion was much more somber. There was complete silence during our journey. No one said a word.

The Crucifixion Arrives at Westminster Cathedral

By the time we reached the Cathedral, it had started to pour. More prayers, more hymns, and another reflection – all outside on the church's piazza. The procession then trudged back down Victoria Street to Westminster Abbey, where it concluded inside. There is something very sobering about slogging silently through the rain like that. I also felt sorry for the clergyman in front of me who's long red cassock dragged along the wet pavement. Despite the rain, most people seemed to stick with the procession to its conclusion.

The Passion Play at Trafalgar Square:

Jesus is Made to Carry the Cross

 The final activity on my busy schedule was the Passion Play. Unlike the other events which are yearly, this was much more of a one off. According to the papers, there had not been a play like this in Trafalgar Square since 1965, so I figured this might be my only chance to see it. Fortunately, the rain had stopped and the clouds were even beginning to thin by the time I arrived around 3pm. The square was full of people, though far less than the 25,000 the play's director had predicted would be in attendance. The play told the story of Jesus from the entry into Jerusalem to the Resurrection. It was a good production, complete with live animals, but I don't think it quite lived up to the hype. The play lasted an hour and half, which is a rather long time to be standing around in a tightly packed mass of people. My legs were killing me by the end of the play and it was not without great effort that I staggered off the Tube station to go home.

The Crucifixion

There were a number of other interesting events going on in the city, too, but there are only so many hours in a day. This website lists some of the other rather unique goings on.