Good Friday, Passover overlap

Today is both Good Friday and the start of Passover.

For Christians, the day recalls the crucifixion of Jesus on a hill outside Jerusalem's walls.

Catholics, Episcopalians and some Lutherans mark the day with solemn observances, including the Stations of the Cross, which traced Jesus's journey from when he was condemned to death to his quick burial in tomb; and Tenebrae, a service during which candles are gradually extinguished while a series of readings and psalms are said or chanted.

Tenebrae means darkness in Latin and serves as a lead up to Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus.

Members of the Brandywine Peace Community, a faith-based peace activist group, will mark the day with a protest at defense contractor Lockheed Martin's King of Prussia facility starting at noon.

Passover, which begins after sundown today, celebrates the passage of the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

On the day leading up to the start of the 8-day holiday, observant Jews seek out and remove from their homes all leaven, products made with yeast such as bread and known as chametz.

On the first and second nights of Passover, Jewish families gather for a ritual feast called the seder during which the story of liberation from slavery is recounted using a text called the Haggadah.

Observant Jews eat no leavened bread during Passover, relying instead on unleavened bread called matzoh.