Good Friday 2020

Discover what Good Friday means to Christians

What Is Good Friday?

Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day Christians commemorate the passion, or suffering, and death on the cross of Jesus Christ. Many Christians spend Good Friday in fasting, prayer, repentance, and meditation on the agony and suffering of Christ.

Why Is Good Friday Called "Good?" In Christianity, God is holy and humans are sinful; holiness is incompatible with sin, so humanity's sin separates us from God. The punishment for sin is eternal death. But human death and animal sacrifices are insufficient to atone for sin. Atonement requires a perfect, spotless sacrifice, offered in just the right way.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the one and only perfect God-man, that his death provided the perfect atoning sacrifice for sin and that through Jesus, our own sins can be forgiven. Consequently, when we accept Jesus Christ's payment for sin, he washes away our sin and restores our right standing with God; God's mercy and grace make salvation possible and we receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. These beliefs explain why the date of Jesus' crucifixion is considered a "Good" Friday.

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Do Older People Actually Smell Different?

What causes our body odor to change with age, and why does it happen?

Your body odor can change throughout your life. Think of a newborn baby — they have that distinct, fresh scent. Now, think of a teenage boy. They, too, have a distinct scent that’s very different from a baby’s.

Older adults are no different. Many describe their scent as being mildly sweet and musty. And despite what popular culture might try to say, a 2012 study suggests most people usually don’t mind this smell at all.

The study’s authors believe people tend to find the scent more unpleasant when they know it’s coming from an older person. This suggests there’s likely some age discrimination at play in how people perceive body odor.

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Pink Moon - The Largest Supermoon of 2020

Largest supermoon of 2020 rises on a world battling COVID-19

The skyline of New York City is seen as the "Worm moon" as seen from Hoboken in New Jersey. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

The largest, brightest supermoon of 2020 rose in the night sky on Tuesday (Apr 7) over hushed cities, stilled factories and countries in lockdown due to the novel coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands worldwide.

If the moon is within 10 per cent of its closest distance to the earth at the moment of full moon, it is considered to be a supermoon, according the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

April's full moon will be the closest supermoon of 2020, and it is also known as the 'Pink Moon' after the pink flowers that start to appear in the fields this month in some places.

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Largest Supermoon of 2020 rises on a world battling coronavirus

The pink supermoon rises behind the Sacre-Coeur du Horn statue depicting the Christ figure during Holy Week in Wolxheim, near Strasbourg, France, on April 7, 2020.PHOTO: REUTERS

The largest, brightest supermoon of 2020 rose in the night sky on Tuesday (April 7) over hushed cities, stilled factories and countries in lockdown due to the novel coronavirus that has killed tens of thousands worldwide.

If the moon is within 10 per cent of its closest distance to the earth at the moment of full moon, it is considered to be a supermoon, according the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

April's full moon will be the closest supermoon of 2020, and it is also known as the "Pink Moon" after the pink flowers that start to appear in the fields this month in some places.

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A super 'pink moon' will light up the Singapore sky

Get your telescopes out – the Singapore sky is about to be streaked with glowy orange hues (perfect for that golden hour selfie) as a full pink moon emerges through the clouds around Wednesday morning at 10.35am. The moon isn't exactly bathed in the rosy shade but its position in the sky gives it a pinkish tint. This marks the third supermoon this year and it's set to be the biggest and brightest one as the perigee – the moon's elliptical orbit – comes closest to the earth, especially during sunrise and sunset.

What makes the moon super? While it doesn't bring any special powers like giving us clear skin, it appears 14% bigger and 30% brighter than the average moon. It also has made appearances in 1955, 1974, 1992 and 2005. While it's hypnotically beautiful to stare at, it has a bad rep amongst the superstitious – it's often associated with natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes.

The full moon will peak during around 10.35am on April 8, while stargazers in the US will experience it in the late hours of Tuesday and Europe in the early hours of Wednesday. The supermoon usually lasts for only 20 minutes, so try your best to not blink an eye as you'll have to wait until the moonset time or until May 7 for the final supermoon.

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