Karfreitag in English means “Good Friday”, which seems contrary to its German meaning.So let’s have a look. Karfreitag is the day where Christians remember the crucifixion of Christ. According to Duden, the Kar in Karfreitag comes from the Mid High German word chara, which means “wail,” “sorrow” or “lamentation.” Another, less common word for Karfreitag is stiller Freitag – “silent Friday.”Connected to this, the traditions on Karfreitag are the so-called Tanzverbot (“prohibition of dancing.”) That ban originally meant that public events, including sports or entertainment, weren’t allowed to take place on this day – even long before the coronavirus crisis.
