Dates and Origins of Good Friday

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Good Friday Dates in 2024, 2025 and 2026

Good Friday is celebrated at the following dates:

• Friday, March 29, 2024
• Friday, April 18, 2025
• Friday, April 3, 2026

Good Friday is celebrated on the Friday before easter Sunday. Good Friday sometimes coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover¹.

Origin

Good Friday is a Christian holiday that commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary². According to the bible, Judas Iscariot led the roman Temple Guards into the Garden of Gethsemane, where they arrested Jesus³. Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver for his betrayal of Jesus, whom he identified by kissing him⁴. Jesus was interrogated at the house of Annas and later sent to Caiaphas, the high preist³. Several witnesses testified against him without any accord as another disciple, Peter, denied Jesus three times while waiting in the Courtyard³. Both the betrayal by Judas and Peter's Denial were predicted by Jesus the previous night according to the Gospel³.

The next morning, Jesus was brought before the roman governor, Pontius Pilate under charges of opposing taxes to Cesar, treason and making himself king of the jews³. In an attempt to absolve himself of responsibility for the fate of Jesus, Pilate allowed Jesus to be tried according to Jewish law⁵, then according to the Laws of Galilee⁶, his place of birth. Jewish leaders could not carry out a sentence of death according to Roman law and Herod, king of Galilee, questioned Jesus to no avail⁵⁴⁶. He sent Jesus back to Pilate, who had Jesus flogged and released⁷. The crowd awaiting Jesus released Barabbas, a convicted murderer, instead of Jesus⁸. New charges were brought against Jesus by the high priests for claiming to be the son of god⁹.

Filled with dread and forewarned to absolve himself of all guilt, Pilate declared the innocence of Jesus and washed his hands to symbolize that he had no part in the condemnation³. In order to stave off a riot and to keep his job as governer, Pilate handed Jesus over to the crowd to be crucified³. For six hours Jesus suffered on the cross, and between 12 and 3 PM a crucifixion darkness covered the land, tombs split open, and the temple curtains were split from top to bottom, indicating that the Jewish people could now speak directly with god instead of through the high priests¹⁰¹¹. during these last few hours, Jesus cried to the skies “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?¹⁰”

Celebration

Good Friday is not a federal holiday though it is an official state holiday in 13 states². This means that certain state and local government offices are closed as well as many public schools and universities. Federally regulated banks and the post office remains open, whereas some governmental bodies are closed on this day under the generic name of spring holiday². Most retailers remain open though some may close early¹². For Christians, it is an important day to be in church.