'Not a bad tradition to have': Why some people eat fish on Good Friday

Business was brisk at some Halifax-area fish and chip restaurants on Good Friday, but people's motivations for going there varied.

For Adria Jackson, she specifically went to Evan's Seafood Restaurant in Dartmouth, N.S., for religious reasons.

She said eating fish on Good Friday demonstrates fasting before Easter Sunday, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection.

"It's not a bad tradition to have," she said, tucking into a serving of freshly served fish.

The reason for eating fish on Good Friday is drawn from early Christianity when people traditionally refrained from eating the flesh of warm-blooded animals in religious observance; fish are cold-blooded, and considered acceptable to eat.

Jocelyne d'Entremont works at Evan's and she said that a lot of people came into the business Thursday to buy fish to cook at home Friday.

D'Entremont is originally from the Acadian community of Pubnico on Nova Scotia's south shore and said that when her parents were growing up, eating fish on Good Friday was a given.

She said that for her generation, eating fish on Good Friday has also become a cultural tradition.

Why does she do it?

"I think it's a bit of the two," she said.

At Fredie's Fantastic Fish House in Halifax, the restaurant wasn't offering its usual menu. Instead, the only thing available was fish and chips.

On a normal day, it might go through 160 pounds of fish. Employee George Tsimiklis expects they will sell 500 pounds before closing time at 7 p.m.

"Things are crazy here," he said, noting nine people were working Friday, more than double the usual number of four.