Good Friday is being observed in Goa today as in the rest of the country. Several programmes are being held through out country to mark the occasion. Good Friday is a day of sincere reverence among Goan Catholics. It is the culmination of Lent, an important observance in the lives of devout Catholics. Lent is observed for 40 days from February to March beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending on Good Friday followed by Easter Sunday. In Goa, on Good Friday, a cross symbolic of the one on which Jesus was crucified is unveiled in many churches. It is believed that Jesus rose from his grave on the following sunday which is celebrated as Easter. The rituals for Good Friday begin on the preceding Thursday. A feast symbolising the last supper of christ is held on Thursday night. The end of this meal marks the beginning of the fast for Easter. The celebrations in Panaji, hundreds of devout Catholics gather in Panaji Church of Mary Immaculate Conception to listen to Mass and participate in the way of the cross. During the afternoon sermon the priests narrate the sufferings that Jesus Christ took upon himself for the sake of humanity. Tha mass attracts a large crowd.With the rest of the world, Christians living across Nagaland observed Good Friday today to mark the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Prayers and rituals began early this morning in most of the churches in the capital and special mass prayer services were held at all the Churches across the State. Special ceremonies are arranged in many churches around 3pm, to remember the hours when Jesus was believed to have breathed his last. In the capital Kohima, people in small groups from various organisations visited hospitals and offered prayers and gifts to the sick. Also, a street drama on the life and death of Jesus will also be staged by a group of young people late in the evening signifying the message of redemption through death.