EASTER is this weekend – and millions of people across the globe are gearing up to celebrate the annual festival.
Numerous different events mark the Christian calendar during Lent, before the resurrection of Jesus is celebrated. Here is the lowdown on Good Friday 2018...
Alamy Easter Sunday is on April 1, but plenty of other days are commemorated during Lent before the important Christian festivity
When is Good Friday?
This year, Good Friday will fall on Friday, March 30.
In different traditions, the date is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday or Easter Friday.
It marks the start of the Easter long weekend, which includes Easter Monday on April 2, 2018.
The date changes every year as Easter Sunday must always fall on the next full moon after Spring Equinox.
Is Good Friday a bank holiday?
Good news, Good Friday is a bank holiday, so for many people, it marked the beginning of their Easter weekend.
Monday, April 2, is also a bank holiday, but not every work will give employees these two Easter dates off.
Bank or public holidays do not have to be given to employees as paid leave, an employer can decide whether to include bank holidays as part of a worker’s statutory leave.
The Government website has more details on what your worker’s rights are in regards to public holidays.
Bank holidays may also impact how benefits are paid, the gov.uk website explains how they may be affected.
As some will get the day off work, a clever trick has shown how you can get 18 consecutive days off work using just NINE days of annual leave.
Alamy
Why do we celebrate Good Friday?
Good Friday is commemorated because the date marks the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary.
Accounts of the Gospel state that the son of God was put to death after he was betrayed by Judas and sentenced to death.
The date falls during Holy Week on the Friday before Easter Sunday and sometimes coincides with the Jewish celebration of Passover.
Experts believe the event has been coined “Good Friday” because the word “good” means pious or holy.
Alamy Millions of Christians across the globe are set to celebrate Easter on April 1
more about the holidays IS IT OPEN? Check out the opening times for your local Argos on Easter 2018 HANDY TO KNOW Find out Easter 2018 opening times for IKEA here EASTER UPDATES Double check your local Morrisons opening times for Easter 2018 SUPERMARKET SWEEP Here's the lowdown on Asda's opening hours over the Easter weekend NICE LIDL HELPER Here's the lowdown on when Lidl will be opening over the Easter weekend EGGS-PLAINED Here's the lowdown on Aldi Easter opening times and which shops will be open
Are there any other Easter dates to look out for?
Lent spans for 40 days, and there are numerous events celebrated in the Christian calendar during this holy period.
Here are all the Easter-related festivities to look out for…
Palm Sunday – March 25
Spy Wednesday – March 28
Maundy Thursday – March 29
Good Friday – March 30
Holy Saturday – March 31
Easter Sunday – April 1
Easter Monday – April 2
THE Easter holiday dates change each year, so it is important to keep track – especially as careful diary planning can often secure you extra time away from the office.
While the dates for Christmas and Valentine’s Day are fixed and easy to remember, Easter and the associated Bank holidays can fall anytime between March 22 and April 25. Here are the 2018 dates for your diary...
Alamy Unlike Christmas and Valentine's Day, Easter Sunday changes every year
When is Easter 2018 and how is the date decided?
This year Easter takes place from Good Friday on March 30 until Easter Monday on April 2 - making Easter Sunday fall on April 1, which is also April Fool's day.
The death of Jesus occurred around the Jewish Passover, which is traditionally held on first full moon following the vernal equinox.
As the full moon can vary in each time zone, the Church said that they would use the 14th day of the lunar month instead – the Paschal Full Moon – and host Easter Day on the following Sunday.
Once the date of the moon is known, Easter Day and the Easter holidays can be determined.
The Easter weekend in 2018 kicks off on Good Friday, which next year will be on March 30
Christians celebrate Easter on a Sunday as it was the day Jesus rose from the dead, following being crucified on a Friday two days before.
Centuries ago in 325, it was determined by a council of Christian bishops that Easter Day would always be on a Sunday to commemorate the happy occasion.
MORE ON HOLIDAYS IS IT OPEN? Check out the opening times for your local Argos on Easter 2018 HANDY TO KNOW Find out Easter 2018 opening times for IKEA here EASTER UPDATES Double check your local Morrisons opening times for Easter 2018 SUPERMARKET SWEEP Here's the lowdown on Asda's opening hours over the Easter weekend NICE LIDL HELPER Here's the lowdown on when Lidl will be opening over the Easter weekend EGGS-PLAINED Here's the lowdown on Aldi Easter opening times and which shops will be open SUPERMARKET SAVVY Here's when Tesco stores are opening over the Easter weekend in 2018 EASTER FEASTER Get the lowdown on Sainsbury's opening times over the Easter weekend SPRING BREAK Here's when Costco stores are opening over the Easter weekend in 2018 ROYAL EASTER Don't have a clue what happens on Maundy Thursday? Let us explain all EGG-CITING STUFF The lowdown on the National Trust Cadbury's Easter Egg hunts for 2018
Why does the date of Easter change each year?
In Western Christianity, Easter Sunday must always fall on the next full moon after Spring Equinox.
Easter can fall as early as March and as late as April or May, depending on the year and calendar used.
Christians in the east who use the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian calendar may have a different date.
The date of Easter changes because the full moon can fall on different days in different time zones.
By Alexis Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Good Friday falls on March 30 this year, a holiday symbolizing the day that Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified. The holiday is followed by Easter Sunday which honors the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith.
Passover also begins on the evening of March 30. It ends on the evening of April 7.
GOOD Friday: You’re probably gearing up for a great long weekend. But what happens if you run out of supplies — here’s out definitive list of what’s open this Good Friday.
Apart from Boxing Day, Good Friday is the most restricted trading day of the year in NSW and both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national public holidays.
media_camera ‘tis the season for chocolate. But here’s you guide to what’s open and what’s not over this Good Friday and Easter long weekend.
Good Friday is a restricted shop trading day in NSW under the Retail Trading Act of 2008 and that means most major stores will be closed, including Coles, Woolworths, ALDI, Liquorland and Dan Murphy’s.
So what’s open?
Liquor shops:
Want a refreshing ale or glass of wine with your Easter eggs or traditional Easter seafood feast? Better stock up early because it’s illegal to sell takeaway alcohol on Good Friday.
• All Camperdown Cellars across Sydney will be closed
• All Dan Murphys, Liquorland, BWS stores will be closed
• Pubs and hotels can only trade until 10pm and small bars can’t open at all.
media_camera Ensure it’s not a dry Easter by stocking up on Thursday.
Department stores:
It’s not exactly the Boxing Day sales this weekend. All Westfield stores will be closed across the state on Good Friday and Easter Sunday — except for Tuggerah, which will open on Easter Sunday.
•Big W: All stores closed around the country.
READ MORE: Pubs to open Good Friday for first time in 100 years
media_camera Tuck into some Easter eggs this long weekend when the shops are all shut up.
Supermarkets:
• ALDI will be closed on Good Friday, some stores will also be closed on Easter Sunday. But all stores should open on Monday.
• All Woolworths stores are closed in NSW, ACT, Victoria and the Northern Territory on Friday. In Queensland all stores are closed except Brisbane Airport, which is open 24 hours.
• All Coles supermarkets will be closed on Good Friday.
media_camera Stock up now, restricted trading is in force on Good Friday.
Things to do:
So, you’ve stocked up on booze and you’ve made the late night Thursday shop. Apart from religious services, what else can you get up to on Good Friday?
• Eveleigh Works has a public demonstration of blacksmithing from 10am. Free
• Sydney Fish Markets will be handing out Easter eggs between 11am to 2pm. Meanwhile, the fish market will be extending trading hours (5am to 5pm) on Good Friday and is expecting to sell more than 650 tonnes of seafood on Friday alone.
• Art Gallery of NSW is closed Good Friday but open Saturday through to Monday.
• Spend Easter at Camperdown Commons, with a Good Friday food and wine day from noon to 3pm, featuring seafood stalls, wine and acoustic music.
• Easter long weekend 2018: When do double demerits start
• Easter Long weekend 2018: Where to buy the cheapest fuel
Sport:
• NRL — Good Friday
Rabbitohs v Bulldogs at 4.30pm at ANZ Stadium
Sharks v Storm at 8.05pm at Southern Cross Group Stadium
• Saturday
Rooster v Warriors at 5.30pm at Allianz Stadium
Sea Eagles v Raiders at 7.35pm at Lottoland
• Easter Sunday
Dragons v Knights at 4.10pm at WIN Stadium
Broncos v Titans at 6.30pm at Suncorp Stadium
media_camera Rabbitohs face the Bulldogs this Friday.
For the Kids:
• The Great Centennial Easter egg Hunt on Easter Saturday and Sunday
• Sydney Aquarium open all of the Easter weekend
• Taronga Zoo will be open all weekend
• The Grounds of Alexandria will be transformed into an Easter wonderland, complete with a giant chocolate egg, egg hunt, and an Easter themed lunch.
