Utah Christians marched from church to church in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City on Friday evening in a ritual reenactment of Jesus’ final fateful steps to his death on Golgotha.

The procession, a decades-old Good Friday tradition, may be even better next year, when this holy day becomes a holiday.

In its recent session, the Utah Legislature approved — and the governor later signed — a measure declaring Good Friday a legal half-day holiday.

The new law takes effect May 6, meaning it will be in place for Good Friday on March 26, 2027. That may allow more Utahns to join the annual Procession of the Cross.

This solemn march starts at the Cathedral of the Madeleine on South Temple and includes stops at the nearby First Presbyterian Church, Crossroads Urban Center, First United Methodist Church and St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral.

Participants take turns bearing the cross in a buildup to Christianity’s holiest day, Easter Sunday.

Eastern Christianity’s Easter is a week later this year, on April 12.