Good Friday : Date, history and Purpose
When is Good Friday 2020?
Good Friday 2020 is on Friday, April 10, 2020
Good Friday is a gazetted holiday in India. It commemorates the final hours of Jesus’ life, his crucifixion, and death, as described in the Christian bible.
What is Good Friday?
Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus ChristGood Friday, the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday, commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus ChristGood Friday (from the meanings “pious”, “holy” of the word “good”) is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). The holiday is observed during Holy Week on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Black Friday, Holy Friday, Great Friday, or Easter Friday, though the latter correctly refers to the following Friday (the Friday in Easter Week).
Dates for Good Friday from 2015 to 2025
The next occurrence of Good Friday is marked in red.
| When is …? | Date | Day of the week | Days away |
| Good Friday 2015 | April 3, 2015 | Friday | 1831 days ago |
| Good Friday 2016 | March 25, 2016 | Friday | 1474 days ago |
| Good Friday 2017 | April 14, 2017 | Friday | 1089 days ago |
| Good Friday 2018 | March 30, 2018 | Friday | 739 days ago |
| Good Friday 2019 | April 19, 2019 | Friday | 354 days ago |
| Good Friday 2020 | April 10, 2020 | Friday | in 3 days |
| Good Friday 2021 | April 2, 2021 | Friday | in 360 days |
| Good Friday 2022 | April 15, 2022 | Friday | in 738 days |
| Good Friday 2023 | April 7, 2023 | Friday | in 1095 days |
| Good Friday 2024 | March 29, 2024 | Friday | in 1452 days |
| Good Friday 2025 | April 18, 2025 | Friday | in 1837 days |
Good Friday history
Good Friday is the day when Christians commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. This is an important event in Christianity, as it represents the sacrifices and suffering in Jesus’ life. The crucifixion was the culmination of a number of events in Holy Week, including: Jesus’ triumphal return to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; Jesus washing his disciples’ feet; and Jesus’ last supper on Maundy Thursday. The Easter date depends on the ecclesiastical approximation of the March equinox.
It is the day when Christians commemorate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. So why is it called Good Friday?
According to the Bible, the son of God was flogged, ordered to carry the cross on which he would be crucified and then put to death. It’s difficult to see what is “good” about it.
Some sources suggest that the day is “good” in that it is holy, or that the phrase is a corruption of “God’s Friday”.
However, according to Fiona MacPherson, senior editor at the Oxford English Dictionary, the adjective traditionally “designates a day on (or sometimes a season in) which religious observance is held”. The OED states that “good” in this context refers to “a day or season observed as holy by the church”, hence the greeting “good tide” at Christmas or on Shrove Tuesday. In addition to Good Friday, there is also a less well-known Good Wednesday, namely the Wednesday before Easter.
The earliest known use of “guode friday” is found in The South English Legendary, a text from around 1290, according to the dictionary. According to the Baltimore Catechism – the standard US Catholic school text from 1885 to the 1960s, Good Friday is good because Christ “showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing”.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, first published in 1907, states that the term’s origins are not clear. It says some sources see its origins in the term “God’s Friday” or Gottes Freitag, while others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag. It notes that the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons and is referred to as such in modern Danish.
It also says that the day is known as “the Holy and Great Friday” in the Greek liturgy, “Holy Friday” in Romance Languages and Karfreitag (Sorrowful Friday) in German.
how to celebrate Good Friday
Many Christians in India attend special church services or pray on Good Friday. Some people also fast or abstain from meat on this day. Many Christians hold parades or open air plays to portray the last days and hours of Jesus’ life in some areas of India.
Good Friday is a day of sadness, in which churches are empty and dark. Services are held in the afternoon. Many churches have a bitter drink prepared from leaves, vinegar, and other ingredients. This drink is for everyone to taste after the service.
Public Life
National, state and local government offices, post offices and banks are closed on Good Friday. Christian stores, businesses and other organizations may be closed or have reduced opening hours. Those wishing to use public transport on the day may need to contact the local transport authorities to check on timetables.
Large prayer meetings and parades may cause local disruption to traffic. This is particularly true in areas with a large Christian population.
