When is Good Friday?
In 2026, Good Friday falls on Friday, April 3, 2026. It is classified here as a paid public holiday.
History of Good Friday
Good Friday, or Viernes Santo, commemorates the passion and death of Jesus and is one of the most solemn dates in Colombia’s Christian year. The Colombian Episcopal Conference places it within the Triduum that begins on Thursday and culminates in the Easter Vigil. Churches do not celebrate an ordinary Mass; communities instead gather for the liturgy of the Passion, veneration of the cross and other forms of prayer.
Public devotion takes many regional forms. The Stations of the Cross, the Sermon of the Seven Words, sacred music and processions are familiar practices, while UNESCO-recognised Popayán processions demonstrate how confraternities, images, routes and craft knowledge can become a living civic heritage. Many Catholics abstain from meat or choose simple meals. These practices are neither identical nor equally prominent across all Colombian departments.
Law 51 of 1983 names Good Friday as a nationwide day of paid rest. Its date is calculated as two days before Western Easter and is not shifted to Monday. Together with Maundy Thursday, it creates a four-day closure for many workers and a peak travel period. The legal holiday applies nationally, but religious participation is voluntary and many Colombians experience the day through family reunion, tourism or quiet reflection.
How Good Friday is observed
Good Friday is a nationwide paid holiday two days before Easter; Passion liturgies, Stations of the Cross, processions, meat-free meals and family travel are common.
Traditions of Good Friday
Stations and Seven Words
Colombian congregations retrace the Way of the Cross and often meditate on Jesus’ seven sayings during afternoon or evening services.
Processional heritage
Historic cities carry religious images through established routes, with local confraternities and craftspeople preserving ceremonial knowledge across generations.
Simple Friday food
Many practising households avoid meat and prepare fish, soups or other modest dishes, although recipes and observance differ widely by region.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Colombia official holiday calendar or legislation. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Colombia may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: Colombia, Law 51 of 1983, Colombian Episcopal Conference: Holy Week, UNESCO: Holy Week processions in Popayán.
Continue exploring