Good Friday

Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, is celebrated on the Friday before Easter and commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifices he made for people. Good Friday is a holiday in 11 States, and although not an official United States holiday, stock markets, businesses, schools and colleges are closed, and only regular necessary services are running.

When is Good Friday celebrated?

It is stated in the Bible that Jesus had his last meal, also known as Last Supper, with his disciples on the day of the Passover Seder. This day took place on the 15 Nisan of the Jewish calendar, which corresponds to April 7 on the Gregorian Calendar.

Controversially, both Good Friday and Easter Sunday follow the flexibility of the Passover date on the Jewish lunisolar calendar, as Catholics associate Jesus’s Last Supper with Seder.

In this way, Good Friday always falls somewhere between March 20 and April 23.

The date on which to observe Jesus’s death and resurrection has always been a topic of much debate. Up until the 4th century, His Last Supper, Death and Resurrection were all celebrated together on one day. Since then, however, those observances have been moveable.