Good Friday Vratam The day of the crucifixion, kept as a fast and a day of mourning two days before Easter, and a gazetted holiday of the Government of India.
Good Friday 2027 falls on Friday, 26 March, computed for Chennai.
The name
The same day, in every language that has a word for it
- English
- Good Friday
- தமிழ்
- புனித வெள்ளி
- తెలుగు
- గుడ్ ఫ్రైడే
- ಕನ್ನಡ
- ಶುಭ ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ
- മലയാളം
- ദുഃഖവെള്ളി
- हिन्दी
- गुड फ्राइडे
- বাংলা
- গুড ফ্রাইডে
- मराठी
- गुड फ्रायडे
- ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
- ਗੁੱਡ ਫਰਾਈਡੇ
- অসমীয়া
- গুড ফ্ৰাইডে
Only the names actually in use are listed. A blank script is not an omission: the day may simply not be kept there, or be kept under a different festival's name.
Asia/Kolkata · UTC+5:30
The date of a festival depends on the place: a tithi that ends at dusk in Chennai can still be running at dusk a thousand kilometres west, which moves the day. Sunrise and sunset here are computed for the place above.
When it falls next
Tamil Nadu calendar, computed for Chennai
- Friday, 26 March 2027
- Friday, 14 April 2028
- Friday, 30 March 2029
Where Good Friday falls on the solar year, and how far the date moves between occurrences.
- 2027: 26 Mar
- 2028: 14 Apr
- 2029: 30 Mar
The dates, year by year
Tamil Nadu calendar, computed for Chennai
| Year | Good Friday |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Friday, 18 April 2025 |
| 2026 | Friday, 3 April 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday, 26 March 2027 |
| 2028 | Friday, 14 April 2028 |
| 2029 | Friday, 30 March 2029 |
| 2030 | Friday, 19 April 2030 |
| 2031 | Friday, 11 April 2031 |
| 2032 | Friday, 26 March 2032 |
| 2033 | Friday, 15 April 2033 |
| 2034 | Friday, 7 April 2034 |
| 2035 | Friday, 23 March 2035 |
| 2036 | Friday, 11 April 2036 |
Worked out for Chennai, Lahiri ayanamsa. A date is a function of the place: set yours above and the next three come back for where you are.
What the day is
The day of the crucifixion, kept as a fast and a day of mourning two days before Easter, and a gazetted holiday of the Government of India. The service is in the afternoon, at the ninth hour, with the veneration of the cross and the reading of the passion; the church bells are silent and the altar is stripped. Kerala calls it Dukha Velli, the Friday of sorrow, and the Syrian churches keep kanji and bitter herbs that evening.
- Deity
- Jesus Christ
- Kind
- Vratam Days kept by a fast or a vow, most of them coming round every lunar month.
The hour
Clock times for Friday, 26 March 2027 at Chennai
The Friday before Easter Sunday, which is Easter less two days, computed by the anonymous Gregorian computus. It falls between 20 March and 23 April and is exact arithmetic on the year number.
This day carries no instant that can be put on a clock: it is fixed by the tithi or the nakshatra running at sunrise, or by a moonrise the app does not compute. The rule above is the whole of it.
The fast
A fast and abstinence: no meat, and for many one meal only. The Syrian Christians of Kerala break it with kanji, vegetables and a bitter drink of vinegar and gall in memory of the cross.
Where the regions differ
Kerala keeps it hardest of the Indian states, with the way of the cross walked through the parish; Goa and the Tamil coast keep it as a strict fast, and it is a public holiday everywhere in India.
The dates above are the Tamil Nadu reckoning, because that is the calendar this key belongs to. Switch the tradition on the calendar page to see how another one dates the same day.
Every date here is computed from the Sun and Moon for the place entered, by the rule printed beside it. A printed panchangam can differ by a day where an almanac reads a tithi at a different instant, and a family's own custom always comes first. Where the practice genuinely varies, the text says so rather than choosing for you.