How the Date Is Determined

Good Friday moves every year because it is tied to Easter, which follows the moon.

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter, so its date shifts with the Easter rule. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon on or after March 21. An ecclesiastical full moon is the church's set full-moon date, not the real one in the sky. That rule places Good Friday between March 20 and April 23. The day marks the crucifixion of Jesus, two days before the resurrection on Easter Sunday. It is not a federal holiday, so there is no nationwide observed-date rule.

History

Christians have marked the Friday of Holy Week since the early centuries of the church. Fasting and solemn services were recorded by the fourth century. In the United States it never became a federal holiday. Still, about a dozen states treat it as a full or partial state holiday. These include Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Tennessee. Texas lists it as an optional holiday. One national closure stands out: the New York Stock Exchange shuts down on Good Friday. It is one of the few market holidays not tied to a federal one, a habit dating to the 1800s.

Traditions and Celebrations

Good Friday is mainly a religious day. Common observances include:

  • Church services between noon and 3 p.m., the traditional hours of the crucifixion.
  • Stations of the Cross processions and veneration of the cross.
  • Tenebrae services, held in slowly dimmed candlelight, another Holy Week custom.
  • Fasting or going without meat, which is why fish dinners and fish-fry fundraisers are common in Lent's final week.
  • Hot cross buns, marked with an icing cross, a traditional Good Friday food.

In heavily Catholic and Orthodox communities, public processions fill the streets.

Planning Around Good Friday

Expect closed stock markets. In the states listed above, government offices and courts close too. Many school districts set spring break to include Good Friday. Some private employers offer it as a floating holiday (a paid day off you choose when to take). Banks usually stay open, since it is not a Federal Reserve holiday. The date swings by more than a month from year to year. So check it each spring before you plan around Holy Week. In 2026, Good Friday falls on April 3.