When is Good Friday 2023? Date of Friday before Easter Sunday, is it a bank holiday, why is it called that

In Christianity, Easter is a joyful day to mark the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection and it is widely celebrated throughout the world. For many non-Christians, it marks a time where chocolate eggs become a festive treat to be eaten throughout the day.

But before this joyous celebration, there is a much more sombre day, known as Good Friday. The dates of Good Friday and Easter Sunday vary year-to-year, but when do they fall in 2022? Here’s what you need to know.

What is Good Friday? 

The name, Good Friday, is said to stem from when good meant holy, such as the “good book” for the Bible, or “good tide” for Christmas.

Good Friday is a religious holiday to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary - the site where he was crucified.

It is observed in the Christian Holy Week, the most sacred 7-day period in the Christian year, where believers recall the events that led up to Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Holy Week commences on Palm Sunday - a day where Jesus entered Jerusalem and was greeted by people waving palm branches - and ends on Easter Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection. This week also marks the end of Lent.

According to the accounts in the Gospels, Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, which led to Jesus’ arrest to be tried for blasphemy after he claimed to be King of the Jews. This arrest, and Judas’ betrayal, is said to have led directly to Jesus’ crucifixion.

When is Good Friday 2023? 

The date of Easter always occurs on the first Sunday after the Paschal full moon following the vernal equinox - which took place on Monday 20 March 2023.

Equinoxes happen twice a year and mark the point when the northern and southern hemispheres experience roughly the same amount of day and night as each other.

This year, Easter Sunday will fall on Sunday 9 April 2023, therefore, Good Friday will land on 15 April 2023.

However, in Eastern Christianity, which is practised in countries such as Greece, Serbia, and Romania, Good Friday will fall on 14 April 2023. This is because many Orthodox Churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian calendar.

How is Good Friday observed? 

Good Friday is a solemn day and, for more devout believers, the day is spent fasting and in prayer.

Many Christian denominations such as Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists partake in the Three Hours’ Agony, or The Great Three Hours which takes place on Good Friday from noon until 3pm to mark the final three hours of Christ’s hanging at the cross.

The service includes the sermons on the Seven Last Words from the Cross and ends at 3 pm as that is the time it is said Jesus died on the cross. People of the Moravian Church have a Good Friday tradition of cleaning the gravestones in Moravian cemeteries.

Around the world, Good Friday is a public holiday and some predominantly Christain countries have laws prohibiting certain acts on the day.