April 2023 Good Friday
Below you can find dates of Good Friday 2023 and Good Friday 2024. In the table you can check how many days you have been on holiday, which week is the holiday and which day of the month. Show
Good FridayGood Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday by many Christians around the world. Good Friday commemorates Jesus Christ’s Passion, crucifixion, and death, which is told in the Bible. 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. However, in Old English "good" 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. It is the day after Maundy Thursday and involves people fasting and praying. Good Friday BackgroundThere are many theories as to why the day that remembers Jesus’ death on the cross is known as Good Friday. One school of thought is that Good Friday stems from the words “God’s Friday”, while others understand “good” in the sense of “observed as holy”. According to yet another interpretation, despite the horrors Jesus endured on that day, the event ultimately represents an act of love and constitutes one of the central and most cherished themes of Christianity: that Jesus died to pay the price for humankind's sins. Many Orthodox Christians call the day Great Friday. The day is also known as Black Friday or Sorrowful Friday, as well as Long Friday. The Good Friday date is one of the oldest Christian holidays, with some sources saying that it has been observed since 100 CE. It was associated with fasting during the early years of its observance and was associated with the crucifixion around the fourth century CE. The Easter date depends on the ecclesiastical approximation of the March equinox. Good Friday CelebrationsAs Lent, a period of reflection in preparation for Easter, comes to a close, many Christians observe Good Friday. “Good Friday is the day Christians commemorate the suffering and execution of Jesus by the Roman-occupying empire in Jerusalem. In accordance with state law, Indiana state employees are given a day off on Good Friday, a religious holiday. In 1999, in the case of Bridenbaugh v O'Bannon, an Indiana state employee sued the governor for giving state employees Good Friday as a day off. The US Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the plaintiff, stating that the government could give state employees a paid day off when that day is a religious holiday, including Good Friday, but only so long as the state can provide a valid secular purpose that coincides with the obvious religious purpose of the holiday. Thanks to Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the Caribbean nation in 2012, the Cuban government granted his request to make Good Friday an official holiday, allowing people to stay home and observe this sacred day. Good Friday Customs and TraditionsGood Friday is not an official holiday in the United States. Regular services will continue according the schedule in some areas, including Toledo, Ohio, where the city’s refuse will be collected during its regular schedule. However, financial markets, as well as many businesses, public schools and universities/colleges are closed on Good Friday. Good Friday is a state holiday in some states such as Hawaii, where city and state offices are closed and some forms of public transport (eg. buses) run on the state holiday schedule. In some areas, such as Perry County in Tennessee, Good Friday is a school holiday. Good Friday is a holiday designated by the governor as a day of fasting and prayer in Connecticut. Many Italians choose to fast or eat a diet consisting of only fish on this day. To observe the Catholic Church's day of mourning, every statue and cross in churches is covered by a black or purple cloth. Rome's largest Good Friday event, known as "Way of the Cross" or "Stations of the Cross," is a solemn torchlight procession led by the Pope. The crowd visits each of the 14 "stations of the cross," each symbolizing a part of Jesus' passion and death. The procession begins at the Colosseum and ends at Palatine Hill. Jerusalem is where Jesus' crucifixion took place, according to the Bible. Therefore, it makes sense that Good Friday is a highly spiritual and ritualistic holiday for the city. Traditions include a pilgrimage in which individuals, many of whom carry crosses, retrace the steps Jesus took on his way to the cross. The route leads to Golgotha, also known as the Place of the Skull, where Jesus met his death. Jamaicans have a different use for eggs during their celebration of Good Friday. This tradition involves cracking an egg and separating its yolk from its white. Before sunrise, they will pour the egg white into a glass of water. As the sun's heat warms the glass, patterns will form from the egg. In the past, Jamaican elders believed the pattern revealed how you would die. London's Trafalgar Square puts on a free open-air play every year on Good Friday. "The Passion of Jesus" is performed by a mixture of both amateur and professional Christian actors who take their audience on a journey from Jesus' arrest to his resurrection on Easter. The cast comprises more than 100 performers as well as several animals. As the show features a realistic portrayal of the crucifixion, parental guidance is suggested. Countries such as Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in Central America use art to celebrate Good Friday. On this day, the streets are lined with Alfombras, Spanish for "rug." Created using colorful sawdust, their subjects often are either religious or nature-focused. In order to take in their beauty, you must observe the Alfrombras before any Good Friday processions commence, as they will be washed away by the flood of the crowd's feet. Good Friday Facts
Good Friday SymbolsThe most important Good Friday symbol is the crucifix, or cross, which represents the way in which Jesus died. Some crosses bear a figure of Christ. Other symbols of Good Friday include black cloth used to cover the cross, paintings and statues in churches and some homes to signify mourning. In addition, some people deliberately create a bare appearance in their homes and churches by removing all flowers and shiny objects. Check out the Good Friday in the following years.
What are Easter dates for 2023?For example, in 2023, the vernal equinox is on 20th March and the following full moon is on 6th April. Therefore, Easter is on the 9th. I'll repeat for emphasis, so you don't forget: Easter Sunday is on 9th April 2023!
What date in April is Good Friday?Good Friday Observances. What date in April is Good Friday 2022?This year, the first full moon after Sunday 20 March 2022 is Sunday 10 April 2022, therefore, Easter will take place on Sunday 17 April. Good Friday will land on 15 April 2022.
Is Easter late in 2023?Easter Sunday falls on April 9 in 2023. This means it is more than a week earlier than in 2022, which occurred on April 17.
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