Editing Good Friday (section)

===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; it is today 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> ([[bank holiday]]). All state schools are closed and most businesses treat it as a holiday for staff; however, many retail stores remain open. [[Northern Ireland Civil Service|Government]] services in Northern Ireland operate as normal on Good Friday, closing instead on [[Easter Tuesday]].

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 Radio 4]] 7&nbsp;am News broadcast on Good Friday is traditionally introduced with a verse from [[Isaac Watts]]' hymn "[[When I Survey the Wondrous Cross]]".

The tradition of Easter plays includes 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>