"The Last Supper" - museum copy of Master Paul's sculpture, from the main altar in St. Jacob's basilica in Levoča, Slovakia

In the Christian calendar, Maundy Thursday — also called Holy Thursday and, in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, Great Thursday — is the feast or holy day on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is preceded by Spy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 445 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 569 pixel, file size: 62 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Last Supper - museum copy of Master Pauls sculpture, originally under the main altar in St. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 445 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 569 pixel, file size: 62 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) The Last Supper - museum copy of Master Pauls sculpture, originally under the main altar in St. ... Levoča (Hungarian: LÅ‘cse, German: Leutschau) is a town in the SpiÅ¡ region of eastern Slovakia with a population of 14,000. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Eastern Christianity. ... The term Oriental Orthodoxy refers to the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only the first three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus — and reject the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon. ... The god Thor, after whom Thursday is named. ... Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon. ... In Christianity, Holy Wednesday is the Wednesday of Holy Week, the week before Easter. ... Good Friday is the Friday before Easter (Easter always falls on a Sunday). ...

On this day four events are commemorated: the washing of the Disciples' feet by Jesus Christ, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot. Feet washing is a religious rite observed as an ordinance by several Christian denominations. ... The Eucharist is either the Christian sacrament of consecrated bread and wine or the ritual surrounding it. ... The Last Supper in Milan (1498), by Leonardo da Vinci According to the Gospels, the Last Supper (also called Lords Supper) was the last meal Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles before his death. ... The Garden of Gethsemane. ... For the American black metal band, see Judas Iscariot (band). ...

The morning celebration of these events marks the beginning of what is called the Easter Triduum or Sacred Triduum. The Latin word triduum means a three-day period, and the triduum in question is that of the three days from the death to the resurrection of Jesus. It should be noted that for Jesus and his followers a day ended, and a new day began, at sunset, not at midnight, as it still does today in the modern Jewish calendar.^[1] The Last Supper was held at what present-day Western civilization considers to be the evening of Holy Thursday but what was then considered to be the first hours of Friday. Its annual commemoration thus begins the three-day period or triduum of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, days of special devotion that celebrate as a single action the death and resurrection of Christ, the central events of Christianity. Easter Triduum (or Paschal Triduum) is a term used by some Christian churches, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, to denote, collectively, the last three days before Easter Sunday. ...

Name in English

"Maundy Thursday" is the name for this day in England. It is therefore the usual name also in English-speaking Protestant Churches that originated in that country and even in some that originated in Scotland, although the Scottish Book of Common Prayer uses the name "Holy Thursday".^[2] Other English-speaking Protestant Churches, such as the Lutheran, use both "Maundy Thursday" and "Holy Thursday".^[3] Among Roman Catholics, except in England, the usual English name for the day is "Holy Thursday", in line with the name used in major Romance Languages.^[4] Presumably these modern names came into being before the Catholic Church changed the pagan names of the days of the week in Latin. William Blake (November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827) was an English poet, visionary, painter, and printmaker. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II... For the novel by Joan Didion, see A Book of Common Prayer. ... Lutheranism describes those churches within Christianity that were reformed according to the theological insights of Martin Luther in the 16th century. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church... The Romance languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, comprise all languages that descended from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. ... In English the days of the week are: Sunday first: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday Monday first: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Saturday and Sunday are commonly called the weekend and are days of rest and recreation in most western cultures. ...

The word Maundy is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet. The phrase is used as the antiphon sung during the "Mandatum" ceremony of the washing of the feet, which may be held during Mass or at another time as a separate event, during which a priest or bishop (representing Christ) ceremonially washes the feet of others, typically 12 persons chosen as a cross-section of the community. Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the... Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300 A.D. It was known at the time as the langue doïl to distinguish it from the langue... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the canon of the New Testament, traditionally ascribed to John the Evangelist. ... This article is about the musical term. ...

Services

Services held on this day typically include a reading from the Gospel account of the Last Supper, which includes Christ's taking bread and wine and, declaring them to be his body and blood, giving them to the Apostles. This day also stresses Jesus' washing of the feet of the Apostles at the start of the Last Supper, as recounted in the Gospel of John. At services on this day, a minister, priest, or lay leader(s) may wash the feet of some members of the congregation to commemorate Christ's actions and command. The Washing of the Feet is a traditional component of the celebration in many Christian Churches, including the Armenian,^[5] Ethiopian, Maronite, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and United Methodist^[6] Churches and is becoming increasingly popular as a part of the Maundy Thursday liturgy in many Anglican, Episcopal ^[7], Lutheran, and other Protestant Christian churches. The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the canon of the New Testament, traditionally ascribed to John the Evangelist. ... Maronites (Marunoye ܡܪܘܢܝܐܶ; in Syriac, Mâruniyya مارونية in Arabic) are members of an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Pope of Rome. ... The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church... The United Methodist Church is the largest Methodist denomination, and the second-largest Protestant one, in the United States. ... The word leitourgia is derived from the two Greek words, leos and ergon. Leos, meaning the people of God and Ergon meaning the work. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... The arms of the Episcopal Church are based on the St Georges Cross, a symbol of England (mother of world Anglicanism), with a saltire reminiscent of the Cross of St Andrew in the canton in reference to the historical origins of the American episcopate in the Scottish Episcopal Church. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

In the Roman Rite liturgy, the Holy Thursday Mass recalling the Last Supper is the last Mass before the Easter Vigil service. It usually includes a reenactment of the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles, and is followed by a procession taking the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, and then by stripping of all altars except the Altar of Repose. Latin Rite, in the singular and accompanied, in English, by the definite article, refers to the sui juris particular Church of the Roman Catholic Church that developed in the area of western Europe and northern Africa where Latin was for many centuries the language of education and culture. ... Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon. ... The Washing of the feet is a Catholic ceremony which is held on Holy Thursday (also known as Maundy Thursday). ... For other uses, see Twelve Apostles (disambiguation). ... The Blessed Sacrament is displayed in a procession at the 2005 Southeastern Eucharistic Congress. ... The altar of repose is an altar in a Catholic church where the Communion host, consecrated in the Mass on Holy Thursday, is reserved until the Mass of the Presanctified on the following day, Good Friday. ...

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Great and Holy Thursday is both a celebration of the institution of the Eucharist, and the beginning of the Passion. The Lenten character of the services is for the most part set aside, and they follow a format closer to normal. The primary service of this day is Vespers combined with the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. At this service is read the first Passion Gospel (John 13:31-18:1), known as the "Gospel of the Testament." In addition to the usual Preparation for Holy Communion, the faithful will often receive the Mystery of Unction on Great Wednesday as preparation for the reception of Holy Communion on Great Thursday. It is customary to cover the Altar table with a simple, white linen cloth on this day, as a reminder of the Last Supper. On Great Thursday, the Reserved Sacrament is customarily renewed, a new Lamb (Host) being consecrated for the coming year, and the remaider from the previous year is consumed. The ceremony of the Washing of Feet will normally be performed in monasteries and cathedrals. Because of the joy of the Institution of the Eucharist, on this day alone during Holy Week wine and oil are permitted at meals. The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that views itself as: the historical continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus Christ and the Twelve Apostles, having maintained unbroken the link between its clergy and the Apostles by means of Apostolic Succession. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... The Liturgy of Saint Basil, or in full Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, is a term for several Oriental liturgies, or at least several anaphoras, whch have been attributed to the great St. ... Eucharistic discipline is the term applied to the regulations and practices associated with an individual preparing for the reception of the Eucharist. ... In Christian belief and practice, a sacrament is a rite that mediates divine grace, constituting a sacred mystery. ... Anointing of the Sick is one of the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, the the Anglican / Episcopal Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Oriental Orthodox Churches, and is also administered in some Protestant Churches. ... In Christianity, Holy Wednesday is the Wednesday of Holy Week, the week before Easter. ... The Tabernacle at St. ... The Lamb (Greek:άμνος, amnos; Slavonic: Агнецъ, agnets) is the square portion of bread cut from the prosphora in the Liturgy of Preparation at the Divine Liturgy in the Orthodox Church. ... Ablutions in the most liturgical denominations, such as The Episcopal Church, refers to a ritual cleansing of the chalice and paten used in the Eucharist after all have taken Communion. ...

Other names

For Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians this day is referred to liturgically as Holy and Great Thursday, but is also called Great Thursday or Holy Thursday.

The day has also been known in English as Sheer Thursday, from an obsolete word shere (meaning "clean" or "bright"). This name might refer to the act of cleaning, or to the fact that churches would switch liturgical colors from the dark tones of Lent, or because it was customary to shear the beard on that day,^[8] or for a combination of reasons.^[9] This name is a cognate to the word still used throughout Scandinavia, such as Swedish "Skärtorsdag", Danish "Skærtorsdag" and Norwegian "Skjærtorsdag". Skär in Swedish is also an archaic word for wash. Liturgical colours are colours of vestments and church decorations within a Christian liturgy. ... In Western Christianity, Lent is the forty-day period (or season) lasting from Ash Wednesday to Easter[1] or Holy Saturday. ...

Some secular communities refer to the day as "Easter Thursday", although technically, the correct day for this name is the following Thursday, after Easter.

Customs and names from around the world

• The Maundy Thursday celebrations in the United Kingdom today involve the Monarch (at the time of writing Queen Elizabeth II) offering "alms" to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age). These coins, known as Maundy money or Royal Maundy, are distributed in red and white purses. This custom dates back to King Edward I. The red purse contains regular currency and is given in place of food and clothing. The white purse contains currency in the amount of one penny for each year of the Sovereign's age. Since 1822, rather than ordinary money, the Sovereign gives out special Maundy coins.^[10] which are specially minted 1, 2, 3 and 4 penny pieces which are legal tender.

Up until the death of King James II, the Monarch would also wash the feet of the selected poor people. There is even an old sketch, done from life, of Queen Elizabeth I washing people's feet on Maundy Thursday.

• The popular German name Gründonnerstag means either "mourning Thursday" or "green Thursday".^[11] Other names are Hoher, Heiliger, and Weißer Donnerstag (High, Holy and White Thursday, with "white" referring to the liturgical colour associated with Maundy Thursday).

• In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the day is called Zelený čtvrtek or Zelený štvrtok respectively, again meaning "Green Thursday".^[12] Because the church bells fall silent until Holy Saturday, here called "White Saturday", because "they have flown to Rome", in some regions they are replaced by groups of children walking round their village and making noise with wooden rattles. People come out of the door and give them coffee.

• As stated above, many communities and cultures reënact the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles on Maude Thursday. In Malta, where Maude Thursday is known as Ħamis ix-Xirka, "Society Thursday," this tradition is practiced.

• In the Philippines, the faithful carry out the tradition known as Visita Iglesia, or 'Church visit' in Castillian Spanish on Maundy Thursday. This is where they visit seven different churches as a pilgrimage. Others do 14 churches and say the Stations of the Cross, with one station in each church. Although some do this entirely during the hours of adoration (usually between 8pm and 12 midnight, after the Mass of the Last Supper), many split the practice into 'batches', doing some during the day (7 or so), and the remaining stations during adoration. This is also a legal holiday, marking the start of a long weekend (until Easter Sunday). Most people leave the cities to visit relatives in the province or go on holiday abroad starting from this day.

• The tradition of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday is an ancient practice, probably originating in Rome, where early pilgrims visited the seven major basilicas as penance. They are Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter, Saint Mary Major, Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls, Saint Lawrence-outside-the-Walls, Saint Sebastian-outside-the-Walls, and Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem.

Pope Boniface VIII revived the pilgrimage tradition in 1300 with the establishment of the Jubilee Year, and Rome became a center for pilgrimages. The seven churches developed as particular sites for visits. The seven areas may also be related to the historical seven deacons of Rome, whose responsibility was to minister to the poor in their region of the city. The first seven deacons in the Church were the seven assistants ordained by the Apostles to minister to the unable to shop. A monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Maundy Money is a special British coinage given to deserving poor people in a religious ceremony performed by Anglicans on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. ... Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), popularly known as Longshanks[1], also as Edward the Lawgiver because of his legal reforms, and as Hammer of the Scots,[2] achieved fame as the monarch who conquered Wales and who tried to do the same to Scotland. ... Maundy Money is a special British coinage given to deserving poor people in a religious ceremony performed by Anglicans on Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter. ... James II of England/VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) became King of Scots, King of England, and King of Ireland on 6 February 1685, and Duke of Normandy on 31 December 1660. ... A monarch (see sovereignty) is a type of ruler or head of state. ... Elizabeth I redirects here. ... Liturgical colours are colours of vestments and paraments within a Christian liturgy. ... Church bell from Saleby, Västergötland, Sweden containing an inscription from 1228 in the Runic alphabet A church bell is a bell which is rung in a (especially Christian) church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding... Holy Saturday is the day before Easter in the Christian calendar. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... The Washing of the feet is a Catholic ceremony which is held on Holy Thursday (also known as Maundy Thursday). ... Alternate meaning: See Apostle (Mormonism) The Christian Apostles were Jewish men chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth (as indicated by the Greek word απόστολος apostolos= messenger), by Jesus to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, across the... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... The 12th Station of the Cross - Jesus dies on the Cross. ...

References and Footnotes

1. ^ See Boundaries of the day
2. ^ Scottish Book of Common Prayer
3. ^ Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Lutheran Family Churches
4. ^ No modern language uses a literal translation of the Ecclesiastical Latin name that liturgical books of the Roman Rite give the day: Feria Quinta in Cena Domini (Thursday of the Lord's Supper). Similarly, "Good Friday" is not literal translation of Feria Sexta in Passione Domini (Friday of the Lord's Passion).
5. ^ The Armenian Church: Maundy Thursday
6. ^ The United Methodist Church: Maundy Thursday
7. ^ Episcopal Book of Occasional Services, p. 93 (1994)
8. ^ New Catholic Dictionary; Omnigraphics
9. ^ "The old English name for Maundy Thursday was 'Sheer Thursday', when the penitents obtained absolution, trimmed their hair and beards, and washed in preparation for Easter" (Hungarian Saints).
10. ^ The Royal Mint
11. ^ The word is of medieval origin and may refer to the possible use of green vestments on this day in some regions, or to a custom of eating green salad or pancakes (cf. Deutsches Wörterbuch by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm). The name could also derive from Old High German grīnan ("mourn" or "wail", cf. Engl. groan), referring to the death of Jesus or the penitents' return to the eucharist on this day in older times (K. Küppers, "Gründonnerstag", In Lexikon des Mittelalters, vol. IV,, DTV, Munich, 2003).
12. ^ As for German Gründonnerstag, "green" may refer to a liturgical colour, or to the consumption of green vegetables on this day (cf. the Jewish Pesach dinner). Velikonoční týden - pašijový, svatý, velký

Look up day in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term Ecclesiastical Latin (sometimes called Church Latin) refers to the Latin language as used in documents of the Roman Catholic Church and in its Latin liturgies. ... Latin Rite, in the singular and accompanied, in English, by the definite article, refers to the sui juris particular Church of the Roman Catholic Church that developed in the area of western Europe and northern Africa where Latin was for many centuries the language of education and culture. ... The term Old High German (OHG, German: Althochdeutsch) refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. ... Penance is the actual name of the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation/ Confession. ... For other uses, see Eucharist (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... Passover, also known as Pesach or Pesah (פסח pesaḥ), is a Jewish holiday (lasting seven days in Israel and among some liberal Diaspora Jews, and eight days among other Diaspora Jews) that commemorates the exodus and freedom of the Israelites from Egypt; it is also observed by...

See also

• Easter Triduum
• Friday before Palm Sunday
• Tenebrae (service)

Easter Triduum (or Paschal Triduum) is a term used by some Christian churches, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, to denote, collectively, the last three days before Easter Sunday. ... Holy Week is the Christian week from Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday. ... The Tenebrae (Latin for darkness) is a religious service celebrated by high church elements of Western Christianity, including Anglicanism, the Lutheran Church, the United Methodist Church and traditionally the Roman Catholic Church. ...

External links

• The Catholic Encyclopedia: Maundy Thursday
• Washing of Feet on Maundy ThursdayArmenian Apostolic Church (photo)