This weekend, millions of Christians will celebrate Easter Sunday, this year falling on April 20.
However, before Easter Sunday comes Good Friday, one of the holiest days of the year in Christianity. Officially established in the fourth century, Good Friday is believed to have origins dating back to the same century as Jesus’ death.
But what exactly is the Christian holiday, and how is it celebrated? Here’s what to know about Good Friday.
When is Good Friday 2025?
This year, Good Friday falls on April 18, 2025.
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What is Good Friday?
According to the Franciscan Friars of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Good Friday is a commemoration of Jesus’ death on the cross. Good Friday is always celebrated on the Friday before Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead, to commemorate how Jesus died on Friday and resurrected on Sunday, according to the Bible.
Good Friday is one of the days of Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter during which Christians reflect on Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. The days of significance during Holy Week are:
- Palm Sunday (April 13, 2025): the first day of Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday
- Holy (Maundy) Thursday (April 17, 2025): the commemoration of the Last Supper; the end of Lent for Catholics
- Good Friday (April 18, 2025): a day commemorating Jesus’ death on the cross
- Holy Saturday (April 19, 2025): the final day before Easter; the end of Lent for Protestants
What is Lent? Here’s what to know about the Christian season
How is Good Friday celebrated?
In Christian tradition, Good Friday is a day of sorrow, fasting and repentance. As with every Friday during Lent, Catholics typically fast by abstaining from meat on Good Friday. However, individuals can choose any vice or luxury to give up during Lent, and some may instead choose to perform acts of compassion as a sacrifice.
In Catholicism, Good Friday observation does not include mass, but rather a reading of the passion of Jesus Christ from the Gospels and veneration of the cross. Protestant denominations often host special services with prayer and reflection in observation of the holy day.
