Happy Good Friday 2023: Date, History, and Significance of Christians’ Easter Friday

Happy Good Friday 2023: Date, History, and Significance of Christians’ Easter Friday

Happy Good Friday 2023: Good Friday is among the most important religious days observed in India. It is of major importance to the Christian community. Good Friday, followed by Easter Sunday, is observed in order to remember Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

Good Friday is a way to show reverence for Jesus Christ’s suffering for humanity. This year, the day will be observed on April 7. Good Friday is followed by another holy day for Christians, Easter Sunday, which falls on April 9.

Good Friday: Date

Good Friday falls on the sixth day of the Holy Week which lead to Easter. It is said that the aforementioned crucifixion took place around AD 30 or AD 33. According to the Church’s Lunar calendar, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after Paschal Full Moon which is on April 17th this year while Good Friday will be observed on April 15th.

Good Friday: History

The term Good Friday is not present in the Holy Bible, however, the religious text tells us the story of how Jesus was betrayed by Judas which led to his arrest. He was beaten by the Roman soldiers after being nailed to a cross which he was asked to carry to his site of the crucifixion.

The term ‘Good’ is a contradiction to the events of this day, however, people believe that the term is associated with the words ‘pious or holy’ and Good Friday is followed by Easter Sunday, the day on which Jesus was resurrected from death.

Good Friday: Significance

It is on Good Friday that the Christians commemorate Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. It is a day of grief, penance, and fasting for Christians all over the world. The day is also known as Black Friday for the same reason. Good Friday aka Holy Friday also marks the end of Lent which is a 40-day fasting period for Christians.

Good Friday is considered holy because on this day, out of his love for everyone, Jesus Christ gave his life as a sacrifice while suffering for the sins of people. It was because of this gesture that humanity got a fresh start and all their sins were dismissed.

Though Jesus Christ was crucified on Good Friday, it was on Easter that the son of God was resurrected, according to Bible. It signifies that good always wins and the fact that he went through so much suffering for the sins of humanity shows how much he loved everyone.

What is Good Friday?

Good Friday is the day for Christians to commemorate Jesus’s crucifixion. On this day, according to the Bible, the Jewish religious leaders—who had condemned Jesus the night before for claiming to be the son of God and king of the Jews—brought him to the Romans for sentencing. He was sent from Pontius Pilate to Herod and then back to Pilate, who ultimately sentenced Jesus to crucifixion—the highest form of criminal punishment at the time. Jesus was then beaten, forced to carry a heavy wooden cross through jeering crowds, and finally nailed to the cross by his wrists and feet, where he hung until he died, later that day.

When is Good Friday 2023?

In 2023, Good Friday falls on Friday, April 7. Easter falls on Sunday, April 9.

What is the meaning of Good Friday?

Given its grim origins, calling this holiday “Good Friday” probably sounds counterintuitive. But the word “good” has a different meaning here. In this context, it “designates a day on (or sometimes a season in) which religious observance is held,” Fiona MacPherson, senior editor of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), told the BBC. Put another way, the term refers to “a day or season observed as holy by the church,” per the OED.

How is Good Friday observed?

Despite its name, Good Friday is a day for somber reflection. Each Friday before Easter, Christians solemnly honor the way Jesus suffered and died for their sins. They might attend a service that recounts Jesus’s painful crucifixion, and some even refrain from eating to show their sorrow. Catholic churches strip their altars bare and muffle their bells as a sign of mourning, according to Catholic.org.

But Christians soon turn to happier festivities: On the following Sunday, they celebrate Easter—the day of Jesus’s resurrection—with church services, joyous songs, and family gatherings. They may also share Easter wishes, Easter quotes, and Bible quotes with loved ones.