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 HAPPY EASTER MEAL Double check your local McDonald's opening times for Easter 2018 FACE OF JESUS What did Jesus Christ look like, when was he born and where did he die? 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
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 HAPPY EASTER MEAL Double check your local McDonald's opening times for Easter 2018 FACE OF JESUS What did Jesus Christ look like, when was he born and where did he die? 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
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.
Getty Easter 2018: What is Good Friday? Why is it called Good Friday?
The story of Easter is a crucial part of the Christian calendar and millions of Christians worldwide will be remembering and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the story in the Bible goes, Jesus was crucified on the cross before he rose from the dead three days later. The death of Jesus symbolises the death and forgiveness for all of mankind’s sins, with Jesus taking the ultimate sacrifice for the good of all humans. The death of Jesus is connected to, and remembered on, Good Friday, with Easter falling on the following Sunday - the day in which Jesus rose from the grave.
Why is it called Good Friday? Some historians suggest that the origin for “Good Friday” is that it is holy, or that it is a misinterpretation of “God’s Friday”. Fiona MacPherson, a senior editor for the Oxford English Dictionary, says that the use of “good” in this context refers to “a day or season observed as holy by the church”, similar to that of “good tide” at Christmas or Shrove Tuesday. Is Good Friday a bank holiday? One of the bonuses of Easter weekend is the bank holiday that falls either side of the weekend. Most employers will close up from Friday through until Monday, returning to work Tuesday. However, if you are required to work weekends, it is likely that you will still be required to work across on any or all of these days.
Why does Easter change every year? While many festivals and religious holidays are on set days, Easter is a moveable feast. The First Council of Nicea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325. They made decisions in an effort to attain a consensus on several Christian topics and helped to set a date - almost - for the holiday based on the paschal full moon.
Easter 2018: Cadbury's reveals 50KG chocolate egg that will BLOW your mind Wed, March 28, 2018 Cadbury World reveals 50KG easter egg that will BLOW your mind. Play slideshow PA 1 of 13 Chocolatier Dawn Jenks decorates a giant chocolate egg at Cadbury World
