There’s a strange story behind how Good Friday got its name.
Good Friday is the name commonly given in English to the Friday before Easter. This year it falls on April 18, with Easter Sunday on April 20. But do you know how the day got its name?
Easter is a Christian holiday, and the named days refer to the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection in the Bible. According to the Bible, Jesus was flogged, ordered to carry the cross on which he would be put to death, and crucified on the day we now call Good Friday.
Although the Bible states he was resurrected on Easter Sunday, going through all that on Friday isn’t what most people would consider “good”. But there’s a simple reason why we’ve taken to calling it Good Friday in English.
Doctor James Holt, an Associate Professor of Religious Education at the University of Chester, shared the facts behind the name in a TikTok video.
Why is it called Good Friday?
According to Dr Holt, the reason is quite simple – “good” didn’t mean the same thing as it does now when the name was given. In fact, “good” used to be another word for “holy”, which is why you might hear the Bible referred to as “the Good Book” just as often as it’s called “the Holy Book”.
The expert said: “The original meaning of the word good could also have included holy or sacred. In Old English, this is what it means. It was a day that was holy. It was sacred. It’s the most sacred day within the year.
“We can see this in other things too. Sometimes, the Bible is called the Good Book, and actually, that means holy. So Good Friday is Holy Friday or Sacred Friday.”
In modern times, Christians have also inferred new meaning from the name “Good Friday”, as they often explain that Jesus’ sacrifice has brought “good” things to their lives, therefore making the day “good”.
Dr Holt added: “Some well-meaning Christians have tried to interpret that in the modern day. One Christian suggested it’s a good day because he traded places for you and for me. It’s a good day because it was the day he conquered sin and death so that we will never be apart from God on this side of Heaven or the other.
“Don’t get me wrong, there are elements of this that are true in the sense that it probably is the most sacred day in Jesus’ life. It is the day Christians believe that he sacrificed himself so that humanity could be saved.
“This is well-intentioned and perhaps helps Christians today think about what is most important about this day. Unfortunately, this isn’t the original meaning.”
Good Friday also isn’t called Good Friday in other languages. In German, it is called “Karfreitag,” which can be translated as “Mourning Friday,” while in French, it goes by “Vendredi saint” or “Holy Friday.” It is also called Holy Friday in Italian and Spanish, while Scandinavian languages like Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish all use terms that mean “long Friday.”
Fiona McPherson, senior editor at the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), echoed Dr Holt’s definition when she spoke to the BBC about Good Friday in 2014. She claimed the adjective “good” traditionally designated “a day on (or sometimes a season in) which religious observance is held”.
The OED states that “good” in this context refers to “a day or season observed as holy by the church”. This is also seen when people say “good tide” as a greeting at Christmas. In addition to Good Friday, there’s also the lesser-known Good Wednesday, which is the Wednesday before Easter.
