Why Good Friday is not an official holiday in Belgium and how Judas made sure that the stock exchanges will stay close today

While the Spaniards, Germans, Danes, British, Sweden, Norwegians, Finns, Portuguese and Romanians enjoy a day off on Good Friday, this is not the case in Belgium. In Germany there is even one Tanzbot In force: dancing, parties and making music in public, strictly speaking is still forbidden. The reason: exuberance is inappropriate on Good Friday.

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You can’t call a real féést day good Friday. « On Good Friday we commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, then there is little to celebrate. It is rather a day of mourning, » says Professor of ecclesiastical law Rik Torfs.

Always on Sunday

Why is good Friday in our country not an official holiday? The Catholic tradition has a long series of party and memorial days. Think not only of Christmas and Easter, but also Maria Lichtmis (2 February), Ash Wednesday and Allerzielen (2 November). « Ultimately, there were only four days of it: Christmas (December 25), All Saints’ Day (November 1), Ascension Day 39 days after Easter) and Maria-Tenhemeloping (August 15). Easter and Pentecost are also among the most important Christian holidays, but of course they always fall on Sunday, » Torfs explains.

« The stock markets remain closed to commemorate the betrayal of Apostle Judas, who betrayed Jesus and delivered for thirty silverlings, whom he received on Good Friday »

Rik Torfs

Professor of ecclesiastical law

« Our country is based on a Catholic and liberal tradition. It is those currents that have once had to come to a compromise. The church would probably have wanted more, » adds theologian Hans Geybels (KU Leuven). Whether good Friday would not be more logical day off than Easter Monday? « There is something to say for both. But Easter is of course the absolute top party in Christianity. Because Easter falls on a Sunday anyway, it has been decided to release the next day, » says Geybels.

The Silkers of Judas

A remarkable exception: the stock markets and banks, including in our country, have free every year on Good Friday. That is partly due to the location of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, but there is also a cultural -historical reason, Professor Torfs knows. « The stock markets also remain closed to commemorate the betrayal of Apostle Judas, who betrayed Jesus and delivered for thirty silverlings, whom he received on Good Friday. » Judas is a symbol of greed in Christianity, and making money on the stock exchange is therefore inappropriate on Good Friday.

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Incidentally, Belgium has ten official holidays. In addition to the aforementioned holidays, it concerns New Year’s Day, Day of Labor (May 1), Pentecost Monaandag, De Nationale Vaatdag (21 July) and Armistice (November 11). Compared to other EU countries, we score in the middle bracket. For example, the Netherlands and Germany only count nine, France Elf, Spain Fourteen and Finland takes the lead with fifteen official holidays.