What Date is Good Friday 2018 and Why is This Day so Important for Christians?

By Vianne Ilagan, Christian Post Contributor Friday, March 16, 2018

As Christians all over the world prepare for the Easter celebration, they commemorate many other important events throughout the lent. One of them is Good Friday.

Easter is all about remembering Christ's resurrection three days after his crucifixion and death on Calvary Hill. The most harrowing event of the Easter holiday is the crucifixion of Christ itself, which allegedly happened on a Friday. That is why, during the Easter season, Christians consider Good Friday as one of the most important days during the lent.

Christians commemorate Good Friday because it represents the day that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross. Accounts of the gospel state that it was also the day that Judas betrayed Jesus Christ before he was sentenced to die. This holiday falls during Holy Week, particularly on the Friday before Easter Sunday. Sometimes, it also coincides with the Jewish celebration of the Passover.

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Since Easter Sunday is a movable feast and Good Friday falls on the Friday before Easter Sunday, Good Friday's date changes every year as well. This year, Good Friday falls on March 30.

Although what happened on this day was the death of Jesus Christ, experts claim that the event was still coined "Good Friday" because "good" technically means pious or holy. "Good" in Good Friday is not about this day being good or nice but about it being holy. That is why this day is also called "Holy Friday."

Also called Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday or Easter Friday in other cultures, Good Friday marks the beginning of the Easter long weekend which concludes on Easter Monday on April 2.

Meanwhile, the Lenten season lasts for 40 days and Good Friday is not the only event commemorated during this span of time. Other known Easter-related feasts include Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Holy Thursday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.