Good Friday

Good Friday is a Christian observance which commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is part of Holy week and it is a public holiday throughout the UK.

It is the day after Maundy Thursday and followed by Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, but these are not bank holidays. Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales, but not in Scotland.





Easter is a moveable feast, and Good Friday falls on a different date every year. It is two days before Easter Sunday, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon on or after the March equinox, but never before March 22.

What is the meaning behind Good Friday?
Good Friday commemorates The Passion – the biblical story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at Calvary – before his resurrection is celebrated on Easter Sunday.





Although the precise date of Christ’s death is a source of much debate, biblical scholars tend to be in agreement that it came on a Friday on or near Passover, between 30-33AD.

According to the Bible, Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples on what is now marked as Maundy Thursday.





He was then betrayed by his follower Judas Iscariot, who revealed his location to Roman soldiers in return for 30 pieces of silver.

The death of Jesus is thought to have been commemorated by Christians as part of Easter’s Holy Week at least as far back as the fourth century.





Why is Good Friday Called Good Friday?
“Good” Friday seems rather an odd name for what is a particularly sad moment in history.

Some see it as a corruption of “God’s Friday” or Gottes Freitag in German or Gute Freitag (Good Friday), other cultures call it Holy, Black, Great, Long and Silent.





However, Jesus is also regarded as a saviour to Christians and his death marked the start of a new religion: Christianity. As such people rejoice in being saved, at being shown the light or the right path, and ipso facto it is recognised as a particularly good day – the start of a new era.

Good Friday Traditions

Numerous religious bodies within Christianity observe Good Friday with fasting and church services. Fasting refers to a practice where people willfully abstain from eating or eat very little for a certain period of time. Depending on a specific Christian denomination, it may differ what to abstain and when to do it during Good Friday. For instance, Catholics do it by avoiding meat and the meals should be taken in morning and evening but both meals shouldn’t be equivalent to a large meal. Some Christians still opt to do a traditional “Black Fast” which is a severe way of Christian fasting.



Hot Cross Buns
A traditional Good Friday treat in the UK, Canada and Australia. Only available at this time of year, these sweet buns are made from a yeast dough augmented with raisins, currants and sometimes a little citron. They’re decorated with a cross made of light frosting, two strips of plain dough, or just a knife imprint. The hot cross buns tradition is savoured by cultures around the world, going back to at least the 16th century when Queen Elizabeth I is said to have forbidden their sale except on Good Friday, Christmas or for burials.

On Good Friday every year, tens of thousands of Brits gather in Trafalgar Square, London to watch an open-air passion play depicting the crucifixion. The 90-minute production is completely free of charge - a gift to Londoners and visitors.