Good Friday is the most confusing day of the year. First of all, there’s the name: if I was murdered, resurrected, and then deified, and I came back 2,000 years later to see people celebrating my sacrifice, I’d be stoked. I’d be like “Oh that’s mean, so glad you’ve learned from my example, what did you decide to name the day of remembrance?” Then I’d be told that it’s called Good Friday, and I’d be like “Excuse me, what?”
Now, I understand that the meaning of ‘good’ has changed over time, and that it’s meant to be something more like ‘Holy Friday’, but still, this confuses me. The other thing that confuses me is why all of New Zealand shuts down on Good Friday. I just do not get it.
For a country that’s supposed to be at least somewhat secular, this makes absolutely no sense, and it screws me every year. I should probably have figured out by now that I can’t do any last-minute shopping on Friday, but I haven’t, and at this point I probably won’t. Every year, I plan some sort of long trip over the weekend. Every year, I wait until the Friday to buy all my food and supplies for the long weekend, and every year, I get screwed because for some reason the entire country is forced to close and now I can’t buy my chippies. I feel like Jesus would’ve wanted me to get my chippies.
I often forget how quietly conservative this country is, but Good Friday always reminds me that those good Christian values are right below the surface. And that’s okay, there’s nothing wrong with that, I just don’t get why businesses have to close when a great many of them probably aren’t even Christian in the first place. It’s not like we close everything for Laylat al-Qadr or Yom Kippur, so why Good Friday?
I would also be a little less frustrated if it was a consistent closure, but it’s not. Queenstown and Taupō are allowed to stay open because they’re ‘tourist towns’, which apparently means that they’re exempt from the Christian dogma that governs the rest of us. I’m not sure how that makes sense. Certain businesses can stay open, but not all of them, and all the rules about alcohol sales are baffling as well. I dunno about you, but if I just came back to life after being crucified, I’d be pretty keen on a pint.
It’s great to have certain days of the year set aside to spend quality time with family and friends, but why Good Friday? Easter Sunday isn’t even a public holiday. Sure, the government made a change in 2016 to let local councils decide what they want to do on Easter, but it mostly saw a change in smaller towns - the big cities didn’t really jump on board. And you still can’t work Good Friday even if you wanted to, for that sweet, sweet holiday pay.
The strangest part of this whole thing, to me, is that bars and clubs have to close at midnight on the Thursday before Good Friday. I just think it’s hilarious and perplexing that everyone has to say ‘Well, that’s it, time to go home,’ right at the peak of the night all because 2,000 years ago, a bunch of Roman dickheads nailed some dude to a cross. Anyway, happy Easter, and have a good Laylat al-Qadr, while we’re at it – that’s April 26th this year.