Good Friday
| Good Friday | |
|---|---|
A Stabat Mater depiction, 1868
|
|
| Type | Christian |
| Significance | Commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ |
| Celebrations | No traditional celebrations |
| Observances | Worship services, prayer and vigil services, fasting, almsgiving |
| Date | the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday |
| 2016 date |
March 25 (Western Churches) April 29 (Eastern Churches) |
| 2017 date |
April 14 (Western Churches) April 14 (Eastern Churches) |
| 2018 date |
March 30 (Western Churches) April 6 (Eastern Churches) |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Passover, Christmas (which celebrates the birth of Jesus), Septuagesima, Quinquagesima, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Holy Saturday which lead up to Easter, Easter Sunday (primarily), Ascension, Pentecost, Whit Monday, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi which follow it. |
March 25 (Western Churches)
April 14 (Western Churches)
March 30 (Western Churches)
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday, or Easter Friday, though the last term properly refers to the Friday in Easter week.
The date of the holiday on the Gregorian calendar varies from one year to the next, and there is disagreement about its calculation. It is a widely instituted legal holiday in many national governments around the world, including in most Western countries (especially among Anglican and Catholic nations) as well as in 12 U.S. states. Some countries, such as Germany, have laws prohibiting certain acts, such as dancing and horse racing, that are seen as profaning the solemn nature of the day.
The etymology of the term "good" in the context of Good Friday is contested. Some sources claim "good" to simply mean pious or holy, while others contend that it is a corruption of "God Friday". The Oxford English Dictionary supports the first etymology, giving "of a day or season observed as holy by the church" as an archaic sense of good (good, adj. 8c), and providing examples of good tide meaning "Christmas" or "Shrove Tuesday", and Good Wednesday meaning the Wednesday in Holy Week.
In German-speaking countries, Good Friday is generally referred to as Karfreitag (Kar from Old High German kara‚ "bewail", "grieve"‚ "mourn", Freitag for "Friday"): Mourning Friday. The Kar prefix is an ancestor of the English word "care" in the sense of cares and woes; it meant mourning. The day is also known as Stiller Freitag ("Silent Friday") and Hoher Freitag ("High Friday, Holy Friday").
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Wikipedia