Good Friday

===United Kingdom===
[[File:Hot cross bun.jpg|thumb|[[Hot cross bun]]s are traditionally toasted and eaten on Good Friday in Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8598312.stm|title=How did hot cross buns become two a penny?|first=Finlo|last=Rohrer|work=BBC News magazine|date=1 April 2010|access-date=6 April 2012|archive-date=13 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613213448/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8598312.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
In the [[UK]], Good Friday was historically a common law holiday and is recognised as an official public holiday<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_073741|title = Bank holidays and British Summer Time|publisher = Directgov|access-date = 19 April 2011|archive-date = 15 May 2011|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110515020958/http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_073741|url-status = live}}</ref> (also known as a [[Bank Holiday]]). All state schools are closed and most businesses treat it as a holiday for staff; however, many retail stores now remain open. [[Northern Ireland Civil Service|Government]] services in Northern Ireland operate as normal on Good Friday, substituting [[Easter Tuesday]] for the holiday.

There has traditionally been no horse racing on Good Friday in the UK. However, in 2008, betting shops and stores opened for the first time on this day<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582366/Good-Friday-gambling-angers-churches.html|title=Good Friday gambling angers churches|work=The Telegraph|first=Jonathan|last=Petre|date=21 March 2008|access-date=6 April 2012|archive-date=11 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111220353/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1582366/Good-Friday-gambling-angers-churches.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and in 2014 Lingfield Park and Musselburgh staged the UK's first Good Friday race meetings.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/24458664|title=Lingfield: £1m Good Friday fixture to be held at Surrey racecourse|work=BBC News|date=9 October 2013|access-date=14 October 2013|archive-date=31 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031075930/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/24458664|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/musselburgh-to-host-historic-good-friday-racing-1-3136748|work=The Scotsman|title=Musselburgh to host historic Good Friday racing|first=Craig|last=Brown|date=11 October 2013|access-date=14 October 2013|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924150559/http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/musselburgh-to-host-historic-good-friday-racing-1-3136748|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[BBC]] has for many years introduced its 7&nbsp;am News broadcast on [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] on Good Friday with a verse from [[Isaac Watts]]' hymn "[[When I Survey the Wondrous Cross]]".

The tradition of Easter plays include 1960 Eastertime performance of [[Good Friday: A Play in Verse]] (1916) Artists [[Ursula O'Leary]] ([[Procula]]), and [[William Devlin (actor)|William Devlin]] as [[Pontius Pilate]], perform with the atmospheric sound effects of the [[BBC Radiophonic Workshop]]. The Hugh Stewart production for the [[Home Service]] used soundware such as the [[EMS Synthi 100]] and [[ARP Odyssey l]].<ref name=JMSYT>[[John Masefield Society]]: ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmp_IDlvzPw Good Friday: A Play in Verse (1916)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212204952/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmp_IDlvzPw |date=12 December 2021 }}''</ref>