Good Friday

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Paolo Veneziano: The Crucifixion

The Easter Story

What do eggs have to do with Easter?

The significance of Easter in Christianity

For Students

Christ as Ruler, with the Apostles and Evangelists (represented by the beasts). The female figures are believed to be either Santa Pudenziana and Santa Praxedes or symbols of the Jewish and Gentile churches. Mosaic in the apse of Santa Pudenziana, Rome,A

Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About Christianity

Good Friday summary

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Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

Candles Burning On Table In Church

What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?

African American man praying in church with stained glass in background

Why Do People Say “Amen” at the End of a Prayer?

Easter Procession of Maria Santisima del Sacromonte in Granada, Spain. This statue is known as Virgen de los Gitanos or The Virgin of the Gypsies.

What is Holy Week?

Cathedrale St.Jean in Lyon, France has a 14th-century astronomical clock that shows religious feast days till the year 2019; Perpetual Calendar

Ten Days That Vanished: The Switch to the Gregorian Calendar

Discover

African Americans demonstrating for voting rights in front of the White House as police and others watch, March 12, 1965. One sign reads, "We demand the right to vote everywhere." Voting Rights Act, civil rights.

Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement

Entrants falling and tumbling over while chasing the cheese at the 2016 'Cheese Rolling' held at Cooper's Hill, in the Cotswolds, Brockworth England

7 of the World’s Most Dangerous Festivals

Battle of the Alamo from "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, 1897. Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.

6 Wars of Independence

Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.

10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)

7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks

Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"

How Deadly Is Quicksand?

New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.

Where Is “Old Zealand”?

Good Friday: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

Men toting chains and pierced with cactus keep a Good Friday tradition in Atlixco, Mexico • Apr. 18, 2025, 10:50 PM ET (AP)

Israeli strikes kill at least 25 in Gaza and Huckabee makes first appearance as US ambassador • Apr. 18, 2025, 10:47 PM ET (AP)

Thousands of pilgrims trek through New Mexico desert to historic adobe church for Good Friday • Apr. 18, 2025, 5:58 PM ET (AP)

JD Vance visits Italy for tariff talks and attends Good Friday service at the Vatican • Apr. 18, 2025, 4:50 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Great Friday

Photos and Videos

Paolo Veneziano: The Crucifixion

What do eggs have to do with Easter?

The significance of Easter in Christianity

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

Easter Maundy Thursday Holy Saturday Crucifixion Holy Week Palm Sunday

Quiz

Christ as Ruler, with the Apostles and Evangelists (represented by the beasts). The female figures are believed to be either Santa Pudenziana and Santa Praxedes or symbols of the Jewish and Gentile churches. Mosaic in the apse of Santa Pudenziana, Rome,A

Pop Quiz: 19 Things to Know About Christianity

Holy week. Easter. Valladolid. Procession of Nazarenos carry a cross during the Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) in Valladolid, Spain. Good Friday

Christianity Quiz