Easter Events for Good Friday

Good Friday 2023 will be the first big holiday of the year in the UK. Where does it come from? What traditions are associated with it? And, most importantly, what can you do and eat on it? Trip.com will give you the lowdown.

Step into Wells Cathedral... Source: David Edkins / unsplash

Brief introduction about Good Friday 2023

Good Friday is a holiday celebrated in many countries with a Christian heritage, on the Friday before Easter weekend. Trip.com will explain the details of this holiday and outline some of the activities – both traditional and new – that you can enjoy on the day.

It's a holiday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary, and gives workers and students in these countries some time off.

There will be a lot of Christian-related events going on across the country over Good Friday 2023. You'll find plenty of cultural activities to appreciate and get involved with, in the churches and cathedrals, as well as plays and musical performances.

Good Friday 2023 will fall on the 7^th April in the Western churches (Catholic and Protestant) and 14^th April in the Orthodox churches (Greek, Russian, and Serbian). The date of Easter changes every year, as we'll explain below, and this is the reason for slightly different dates around the world.

Whether you're religious or not, you'll find plenty of things to do in the UK on Good Friday 2023. Many of the shops, restaurants and attractions will remain open – and Trip.com have a wide range of tours and tickets to offer.

A window into Westminster Abbey. Source: Jenny Marvin / unsplash

What is Good Friday 2023?

Good Friday 2023 is part of Holy Week, the annual celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian churches. As a nation with a strong Christian heritage, Easter is celebrated widely in the UK.

Holy Week itself is known as a "moveable feast", which means it doesn't take place on the exact same date every year. The precise date of Easter is actually computed by the churches each year, using complex calculations based on the calendar. That's why the date is different in the Russian church, for example – they use a different calendar there.

Eastern evenings at Ely Cathedral. Source: Karen Cann / unsplash

Date and day of Good Friday 2023

In the UK, Good Friday 2023 will be on 7^th April. Both Good Friday and Easter Monday on the 10^th April are national holidays.

It's the first big holiday after Christmas that everyone young or old will be looking forward to. And no matter if you've been in the UK all your life, or if you're seeking to visit over Good Friday 2023, you'll want to be the first to know what's going on.

Your days off over Good Friday 2023

Holy Week, the name for the entire Christian festival, will run from Sunday 2^nd April to Saturday 8^th April in 2023, followed by Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

Of course everyone will be scrambling to check out things to do over this time – now more than ever, we're looking forward to new experiences and new holiday opportunities. Make sure you're ahead of the pack by getting the details on Good Friday 2023 from Trip.com, and getting your time off in advance.

The Easter holidays are filled with many traditions, old and new, and are very often used for activities with family and friends. One of the greatest Easter traditions is trying to maximise our time off work! Good Friday 2023 will be no different – trying to squeeze the longest holiday possible is a time-honoured tradition.

How to get the most out of your days off on Good Friday 2023

For example, if you use four days of annual leave to take off Tuesday 11^th April to Friday 14^th April, you'll net 10 consecutive days off work for the price of 4! This way, you can plan something even more special with your time off – a staycation in Penzance, perhaps, or a city break to Newcastle, even a trip further north.

You can check out some of the offers for Good Friday 2023 available on Trip.com. There's a St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster walking tour, for example, which will take you around these impressive historic locations at the perfect time of year.

Origin & History about Good Friday

Holy Week, and Good Friday in particular, are particularly important in the Christian calendar. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which commemorates the return of Jesus Christ to Jerusalem and the start of the events leading to his death.

His death – by crucifixion, on a hill called Calvary – is what is celebrated on Good Friday. On Good Friday 2023, many churches and cathedrals across the UK will hold special, traditional celebrations. Easter is a special time to visit some of the UK's grandest examples of religious architecture – try Wells, Ely, Durham, or Canterbury.

Traditionally, therefore, Good Friday is a day on which Christians remember the sacrifice that Jesus made. He returned to Jerusalem after the Last Supper – his final meal with his disciples – and was arrested in the city after being betrayed by Judas Iscariot.

On the very first Good Friday then, as the story goes, Jesus was sentenced to death by the Roman authorities for opposing taxes and making himself king. Whilst the Roman governor did not wish to do so, in the end Jesus was nailed to the cross and executed alongside two common thieves.

This is the story that is retold over Easter, and you will hear it on TV, radio, and in the churches and schools. This great holiday, just as weather starts to improve, and the days become longer and warmer, is the perfect time to learn more about our traditions and explore the country too.

Serene springtime at Durham Cathedral. Source: K. Mitch Hodge / unsplash

Why is it called Good Friday?

The agony of the crucifixion of Jesus, the miracles surrounding his death on Good Friday and the resurrection on Easter Sunday, are at the heart of the Easter narrative. So why, when this is the darkest part of the story, is the day called "Good" Friday?

There are a number of different explanations as to why this might be the case. Folk stories link the word "good" to "God", like the origin of the word "goodbye" in the phrase "God be with you".

But in fact, the most likely explanation is that "good" in this sense bears the older meaning of "holy" or "pious" - like the Bible is sometimes referred to as "the good book". Other European languages typically don't have this confusion, as the day is often known as "Great Friday" or "Holy Friday".

Traditional activities on Good Friday 2023

Members of the main churches in the UK – the Catholic Church and the various Protestant churches – will celebrate Good Friday in similar but slightly different ways.

For Catholics, Good Friday 2023 is a fast day, meaning they are permitted to eat only one full meal, without any meat. In church, they traditionally attend a special service at 15:00 known as the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord.

In Catholic churches and in some others too – like Anglican, Lutheran, and Methodist churches – you can also find images for devotion and prayer that have special significance on Good Friday. These are known as the Stations of the Cross.

The Stations of the Cross are a series of 14 images found within these churches that tell the story of Christ's crucifixion and death. They invite worshippers to reflect on the meaningful, significant aspects of Jesus' story.

Other churches will celebrate the day with similar activities and similar traditions, with Easter readings and hymns. And you'll be able to catch some of the great Easter films on television too – The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, The Passion of the Christ.

One traditional activity in Britain that's special to Good Friday is the baking of "hot cross buns". These are small, sweet bread buns that are usually made with currants, raisins, and spices, and marked with a cross on the top.

There are a number of superstitions connected with hot cross buns. One folk tale claims that if they are baked and served on Good Friday itself, the buns won't turn stale in the following year. Another states that they have health-giving properties.

Some also say that if they are taken on a sea journey, they will protect the boat against shipwreck, and if they are kept in the kitchen, they will protect against fires. Either way, they are a delicious and sweet snack to mark the end of the Lent period.

A delicious, traditional hot cross bun. Source: John Cutting / unsplash

One great activity to learn about the true meaning of Good Friday 2023 is to watch the Passion of Jesus play that takes place every year in London. It's a 90 min performance of the final days of Jesus that is free for everyone, and doesn't require a ticket. Even better, it takes place right in Trafalgar Square in the heart of the capital, and there's 2 performances on the day – at 12:00 and 15:15.

A piece of classical music that, due to its subject matter, has become closely associated with Easter is Handel's English-language oratorio Messiah. This piece was composed as an Easter piece, telling of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and will be performed in the UK over the Good Friday 2023 period.

So you can combine the celebration of Easter with a musical experience you'll never forget by choosing Good Friday 2023 to visit the Royal Albert Hall, or other classic musical venues across the country.

Many of the UK's churches and cathedrals are tourist attractions in their own right, and Easter is also a popular time to visit them. So why not consider marking the day with a trip to St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, York Cathedral, or Southwark Cathedral?

Christian altar in Newcastle. Source: K. Mitch Hodge / unsplash

New activities on Good Friday 2023

Of course, Good Friday 2023 isn't just for churchgoers. Everyone in the UK looks forward to the Easter break as a time to do something with friends, family, and especially with the kids – who will be off school and excited for Easter eggs!

The painting and decorating of eggs – a symbol of fertility and rebirth – goes back even earlier than Christianity. In Africa, ostrich eggs that were decorated and engraved were found to be 60,000 years old. With the emergence of the Christian tradition, this became fused with the idea of the egg as a symbol of Christ's resurrection.

Now, in modern Britain, chocolate Easter eggs fill the stores everywhere at this time of year, and kids look forward to getting off school and receiving the eggs as gifts from all their family. So you can seek out an Easter egg that catches your eye and indulge your sweet tooth – all the while participating in a tradition that stretches back to the dawn of humanity itself!

Whilst most people get a day off on Good Friday 2023, you'll still be able to find plenty of places open. So you can use the holiday to do typical holiday things – going to the cinema, eating out somewhere nice, taking a tour to one of the UK's many scenic spots, or hitting the seaside when the sun is shining.

The Easter Bunny - the one who hides the eggs... Source: Bee Felten Leidel / unsplash

Making the most of the Good Friday 2023 holiday

So no matter whether you're a member of the faithful, or just grateful for a few days off work, make sure you get the most out of your Good Friday 2023 holiday. Trip.com's guides and offers on tours, attractions, and places to stay offer more than enough to keep you (and the family) entertained.

Many of the great historical sites and the famed cultural legacy of the UK are best appreciated during festival seasons like Easter. Places of worship like Canterbury Cathedral and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne were built to tell the story of Easter. Handel's Messiah was written to tell the story, too. Seeing and hearing these cultural treasures at this time of year connects us to that history in a unique way that can't be replicated.

But likewise, there's a lot of entertainment to be found over a long Easter break – if you're seeking a little excitement, you'll find it over Good Friday 2023. Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures, and Legoland Windsor will all be open during the Easter holidays!

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Source: Louis Watson / unsplash

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