What Is Good Friday? Meaning, Origins, and Traditions

Observed during Holy Week, Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Because it is tied to Easter, its date changes each year—linking this solemn day to the same lunar rhythm that determines Easter Sunday.

Why Is It Called “Good” Friday?

For a day associated with suffering and death, the name Good Friday can seem puzzling. Why call such a solemn day “good”?

One explanation lies in belief: that Christ’s death, though tragic, led to redemption and new life. Others point to older uses of the word “good,” which once carried meanings closer to “holy” or “sacred.” Whatever its origin, the name has endured—holding the contradiction at the heart of the day.

What Good Friday Represents

Good Friday represents loss, sacrifice, and waiting. It is traditionally observed as a day of mourning, when churches grow quiet and celebration pauses.

In the Christian calendar, Good Friday falls between Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday, forming part of the Easter Triduum—the three days that lead to Easter Sunday. It is the long breath before the story turns.

Good Friday, Easter, and the Moon

Like Easter itself, Good Friday does not fall on a fixed date. Instead, it follows an older rhythm—one set not by the calendar alone, but by the Moon phases.

Easter Sunday is observed on the first Sunday after the Paschal Full Moon, the Full Moon that occurs on or after the Church’s fixed spring equinox date of March 21. Good Friday always comes two days earlier, tying it directly to the same lunar cycle.

This link places Good Friday within an ancient system of timekeeping, when sacred days were aligned with the natural world and the turning seasons.

Good Friday and Passover

Good Friday’s timing is closely connected to Passover, the Jewish festival that commemorates the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt. According to the Gospels, the Last Supper took place during Passover, and the crucifixion followed soon after.

Because Passover follows a lunar calendar, early Christians also tied Easter—and Good Friday—to the Moon. The shared timing reflects deep historical roots and a calendar shaped by observation rather than convenience.

Traditions and Lore

Over the centuries, Good Friday gathered customs meant to honor its solemn nature. In many communities, church bells were silenced, work was avoided, and loud celebrations were set aside.

Folklore often treated Good Friday as a powerful day. Some believed it was unlucky to begin new ventures, while others saw it as a time when the ordinary world grew thin, and spiritual meaning felt close at hand.

Planting Lore

Ever heard the saying, “Plant your potatoes on Good Friday”? Here’s another old adage: “Plant your taters on Good Friday, both white and red; they’ll make good taters with way less vine.” Like many garden sayings, it’s remembered as much for its rhyme as for its advice.

There is a long history of folklore tying potato planting to Good Friday. Part of it is practical: in many regions, this time of year often lines up with warming soil and the start of spring growth.

But the tradition is also symbolic. In Ireland, potatoes were once mistrusted because they grew hidden underground and were not mentioned in the Bible. Planting them on a sacred day like Good Friday—sometimes along with holy water— became part of the lore surrounding a crop that once felt unfamiliar. 

Of course, these old sayings don’t apply everywhere. In colder regions, gardeners still need to wait until the risk of frost has passed. But these sayings reflect how closely people once tied their garden work to the calendar.

Weather Lore

Good Friday has long been associated with unsettled weather. In many places, people expected rain, wind, or storms—especially in the afternoon.

One widely repeated saying held that it always rains on Good Friday, particularly between noon and three o’clock. The timing was said to echo the hours of the Crucifixion, when darkness was believed to have fallen across the land.

Other weather sayings looked beyond the day itself. In some traditions, a rainy Good Friday or wet Easter weekend was thought to signal a good year for grass, even if it meant poor hay—sometimes called a “cheese year,” when pasture would be plentiful for livestock.

German folk tradition treated Good Friday as a seasonal signpost. The weather on that day was believed to hint at what summer might bring, while the rest of Holy Week filled out the forecast— Holy Thursday for spring, Good Friday for summer, Holy Saturday for autumn, and Easter Sunday for winter.

Like most weather lore, these sayings weren’t meant to be exact forecasts. They reflect a time when people watched the skies closely, looking for meaning and memory in the weather as much as prediction.

The Day Before Easter

Good Friday endures as a pause—a reminder that renewal often follows loss, and that not every turning point arrives with celebration.

Standing between sorrow and joy, Good Friday remains a powerful moment in the calendar, shaped by faith, tradition, and humanity’s long habit of watching the Moon, the weather, and the slow return of spring.