This year, Good Friday falls on Friday 10 April on the Gregorian calendar.
Its date coincides with the middle of the Jewish festival of Passover.
According to the Julian calendar, which is still used in parts of the eastern Orthodox church, Good Friday will take place this year on Friday 17 April.
Good Friday is the day on which Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, prior to when he was believed to have been resurrected.
Due to the events commemorated on the holy day, some might question why it’s known as “Good” Friday.
Rather than indicating that the day is a joyous occasion, the “good” in Good Friday actually comes from the old definition of the word, meaning “pious” or “holy”.
While it’s widely believed that Christ was crucified on a Friday, the day of the week of the crucifixion is not mentioned in the Bible.
Some speculate that the crucifixion may have taken place on a Wednesday or Thursday, due to a line in the Gospel of Matthew in which Christ states that he would be dead for “three days and three nights”.
While the name Good Friday isn’t mentioned in the Bible, the religious text tells the story of how Christ was beaten and mocked by Roman soldiers before being made to carry a cross to the site of his subsequent crucifixion.