Good Friday - April 18, 2025

What is Good Friday?

Christians worldwide observe Good Friday or Black Friday to honor the crucifixion event of Jesus. The believers fast all day and emerge into prayers to commemorate the pain and suffering Jesus felt when he was executed at Calvary. 

Good Friday comes before Easter Sunday. The date can vary as it is based on when the Jewish Passover takes place. It often falls between mid-March and mid-April. 

Good Friday  All Quick Overview

• Time/Date: April 7
• Category: Religious
• Where It’s Marked? Christians Worldwide
• Why It’s Marked? To honor Jesus' crucifixion and his passing at Calvary

History of Good Friday 

Good Friday has been commemorated as the day to mourn, repentance, and fast from the beginning of Christianity. The dates can be varied depending on the difference between the Gregorian and lunisolar calendars. 

The New Testament of the Bible described Good Friday as the day that the Romans crucified Jesus. Because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, the Jewish religious authorities accused him of blasphemy. They brought Jesus before the Romans because they were enraged with his speech and claim about God and his love and promises towards his people. 

After the Roman general Pontius Pilate was convinced of his unacceptable actions, he gave the death penalty. 

After that, the sorrowful story began as the Roman soldiers repeatedly beat him cruelly in front of everyone. They gave him a crown of thorns, and her head started to bleed. 

The soldiers compelled Jesus to drag the large wooden cross to the place named Golgotha. It was located outside Jerusalem. And while Jesus was carrying the cross through the crowd, the soldiers were still torturing him, and the crowd taunted him for his claim of being God’s son. 

When he reached the spot of his crucifixion, the crowd shouted to crucify him. The soldiers nailed his wrists and feet with the cross, which was the highest form of punishment during that time. 

Jesus died while remaining nailed on the cross. 

How to Celebrate Good Friday? 

If you consider yourself a Christian, you must believe that the Eternal God sent Jesus Christ to earth, and he died to atone for the sins of humankind. The day Good Friday is not the day to celebrate but rather one to ask for forgiveness of our sins.

Continue reading to know the activities you can perform on this day. It is better to find out the distinctive traditions of the Christian denomination you belong.  

• On Good Friday, some individuals observe fasting. Some people prefer eating nothing, and others consume very little food. 
• Byzantine Catholics refrain from having eggs, meat, fish, or dairy food items.  
• There is typically a prayer with sacraments arranged by the Roman Catholic Churches.   Although there are no gatherings for celebration on this day, people visit the church to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament. 
• It is said that Jesus died at around 3 PM. The mass usually heads to church to pray at that time. However, if you cannot attend the Mass, you can pray where you are at that time after pausing your work. 
• A particularly effective liturgy on Good Friday is the Holy Rosary. You may attend the nearest church and pray.
• Whatever you are doing on Good Friday, keep Jesus in your mind. Think about the sacrifice he has made and how you can reflect on his lessons in your life. 
• Passion Plays are performed by some Christian communities where you can participate or help organize. 
• Before Good Friday arrives, ask your pastor, church leader, minister, or priest to learn the proper ways to observe this Great Friday. 

Countries that observe Good Friday

Good Friday is observed as a public holiday in many countries around the world. New Zealand, Finland, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Colombia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. 

Interesting facts about Good Friday  

Even though priests of the church and families who believe in Christianity teach their children about Good Friday from their childhood, there may still be some unknown facts you didn't know. Here they are:

• Many believe cutting their hair on Good Friday prevents headaches until the following year’s Good Friday. 
• According to Jamaican tradition, cracking an egg on Good Friday and adding the egg white to a glass of water can predict the patterns of someone’s death.
• People bake hot buns with a cross on the top. These buns are considered to bring good luck at home. 
• In Singapore, shops remain closed on Good Friday, whereas in Germany, theaters are closed. 
• To honor the day in 1930, BBC radio broadcast no news. 
• The date of observing Good Friday can move in between March 20 and April 23. 
• People of Bermuda observe Good Friday with kites. They fly the handmade kites with two wooden sticks similar to the cross. 

Unique Good Friday Celebration Ideas

Fasting and praying should be at the top of your to-do list on Good Friday. After that, you can consider the following religious activities to perform. 

• Wear black clothes if you plan to go outside or even at home. It symbolizes mourning for Jesus's death. 
• You can recite from the Bible, memorize a new verse, pray ‘The Sorrowful Mysteries’ and ‘Litany of the Passion.’  
• Read books or watch movies related to the sorrowful events of Crucification. For example, The Passion of the Christ.
• Do some research and discuss the events on why Jesus showed us to sacrifice over all other desires.  
• Show an act of kindness and sacrifice, and forgive others’ mistakes on Good Friday. 
• Avoid electronic devices, especially from 3 PM to the following few hours. 

Good Friday Quotes 

Saying your prayers are a crucial part of observing Good Friday. Therefore, you can send quotes to your beloved family members and friends to remind them to tell their prayers and have a great life. 

“So shall we join the disciples of our Lord, keeping faith in Him despite the crucifixion, and making ready, by our loyalty to Him in the days of His darkness, for the time when we shall enter into His triumph in the days of His light?” - Philip Ledyard Cuyler

“Maybe the Good Friday story is about how God would rather die than be in our sin-accounting business anymore.” - Nadia Bolz- Weber

“Christmas and Easter can be subjects for poetry, but Good Friday, like Auschwitz, cannot. The reality is so horrible it is not surprising that people should have found it a stumbling block to faith.” - W.H. Auden

“No pain, no palm, no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; And no cross, no crown.” - William Penn

“Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone but every leaf in springtime.” - Martin Luther

“The dripping blood our only drink, The bloody flesh our only food: In spite of which we like to think that we are sound, substantial flesh and blood- Again, in spite of that, we call this Friday good.” - T.S. Eliot 

“Stoning prophets and erecting churches to their memory afterward has been the way of the world through the ages. Today we worship Christ, but the Christ in the flesh we crucified.” - Mahatma Gandhi

FAQ

1. Why do we call Good Friday good?

Although the origin of the term ‘Good’ in Good Friday is unclear, it can refer to the suitable lessons that Jesus tried to show us. They are: about how to love, sacrifice, and have faith when God tests us.  

2. What should you not do on Good Friday?

You should not work with iron tools, nails, or hammers, have a meal that contains meat, and not drink or do any household work. 

3. What do Catholics do on Good Friday?

Praying and fasting are required activities for Catholics to follow.