Good Friday

On Friday, March 26, 2027, Christians around the world observe Good Friday, a solemn holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is a day of sorrow, penance, and fasting, kept in quiet reverence.

MAR26

Friday, March 26Every year on March 26

days to go

Roots: Good Friday falls on the Friday of Holy Week, two days before Easter Sunday, as part of the Paschal Triduum that runs from the evening of Holy Thursday through Easter Sunday.
Hashtag: #GoodFriday

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3 ways to celebrate

AT CHURCH

Attend a Good Friday Service

Join the faithful in a solemn service of meditation on the cross, and venerate the cross of Christ with your community.

AT HOME

Keep the Three Hours Quiet

From noon until 3 p.m., set aside noise and hurry as far as you are able, in remembrance of the hours of darkness before Jesus died.

AT HOME

Fast Simply

Observe the day's fast with simple food, letting the body's hunger match the heart's sorrow and gratitude.

Plan ahead

Good Friday is observed on March 26 every year. Here is where it lands for the next ten years, handy for planners, marketers and party people.

2026Thu, Mar 26this year

2027Fri, Mar 26

2028Sun, Mar 26

2029Mon, Mar 26

2030Tue, Mar 26

2031Wed, Mar 26

2032Fri, Mar 26

2033Sat, Mar 26

2034Sun, Mar 26

2035Mon, Mar 26

2036Wed, Mar 26

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Fast facts

Many churches hold the Service of the Great Three Hours' Agony from noon until 3 p.m., the hours the Gospels record darkness over the land before Jesus died.

Churches are left bare on Good Friday, with pictures and statues covered in many traditions, as a sign of mourning.

The story

Good Friday stands at the center of Holy Week. It commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary, also called Golgotha, and Britannica sums the day up as one of 'sorrow, penance, and fasting.'

Read the full story

The signs of mourning are visible in the churches themselves. Churches are not decorated on Good Friday, and in some churches pictures and statues are covered over. For many Christians it is a day of fasting, with the faithful attending a service where they meditate on and venerate the cross of Christ.

In many Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist churches, the Service of the Great Three Hours' Agony is held from noon until 3 p.m. Those are the hours the Gospels record darkness over the land before Jesus died.

Even the name carries meaning. The word 'good' in Good Friday is an older usage meaning holy, and it also points to the good Christians believe came to humankind through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The day's traditional food, hot cross buns, bears a cross as a reminder of the crucifixion.