Maundy Thursday
Maundy (pronounced MAWN-dee) Thursday is the English name given to the Thursday during Holy Week (also called Passion Week). Christians observe Maundy Thursday in commemoration of Christ's Last Supper. "Maundy" comes from the Latin word "mandatum", which means "commandment". (Mandatum novum is Latin for "new commandment").
This day commemorates the anniversary of the institution of Holy Communion, also called The Eucharist, by Jesus at the Last Supper.
- The Last Supper, by Da Vinci [image]
- Left-side detail of Da Vinci's The Last Supper, by Giacomo Raffaelli [image]
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In Roman Catholic and many Protestant churches, this anniversary is celebrated in an evening service that includes Holy Communion. "Mandatum" is the first word of an anthem sung in some churches during the liturgical ceremony on this day.
In most European countries, the day is known as Holy Thursday.
"Do this in remembrance of me."
-- Luke 22:19
Related information
Foot washing ceremony
Roman Catholic and some Protestant Maundy Thursday services include a foot washing ceremony.
Some Maundy Thursday services re-enact the Last Supper, then follow that with Holy Commmunion for people attending the service.
Each participant washes the feet of 12 people, commemorating Christ's washing of his disciples' feet in the Upper Room before his last supper.
The Seder meal
The Passover Seder (pronounced SAY-der) ceremony includes a meal and prayers welcoming the sacred time, or otherwise setting the stage for the ritual. The meal uses symbolically significant foods, especially matzah (unleavened bread), maror (bitter herbs), four cups of wine, and (before 70 AD, and in Jerusalem) the pesach (lamb) itself. Most Seder plates have places for six items, though some Jewish families have modified the traditional ones:
- Maror (bitter herbs, usually Horseradish)
- Charezet (bitter vegetable, often lettuce, sometimes dipped in salted water)
- Karpas (a vegetable other than bitter herbs, usually parsely)
- Charoset (usually an apple, nut, spice and wine mixture)
- Zeroa (shankbone, traditionally of lamb)
- Beitzah (a roasted egg)
Related information
- The Seder
- A Christian Passover Seder for Holy Thursday
- A Christian Passover Seder, including recipes
- Passover Seder Plate (Wikipedia)
- Photos of varied Seder plates
- A wood carving of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper"
- The Virtual Seder plate
Related Songs
- Until I come (Larry Holder)
- Do this and remember me (Pepper Choplin)
Gethsemane
After the Passover meal in the Upper Room, and prior to Judas' betrayal of him, Jesus walked to Garden of Gethsemane, prayed, and felt anguish. The name "Gethsemane", comes from the Hebrew Gat Shmanim, meaning "oil press". The garden is thought to have been located somewhere on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives, where there were olive trees and olive presses.
Related Songs
- UMH 290 - Go to Dark Gethsemane
- I Lay it Down (Larry Holder)
- Not my will but Thine (Ruth Schram)
Related infomration
Tenebrae service
Some churches observe another medieval custom, which has had a popular revival in the late 20th century -- that of the service of
Tenebrae. This service may be held held on Wednesday, Thursday, and
(or) Friday, in the evening. It features a series of songs and readings dealing
with Holy Week.
It was originally sung before dawn and marked by the gradual extinguishing of candles before the breaking of the light of day. Many churches continue the practice of gradually extinguishing candles, though at an evening service, followed by a stripping of the altar and then a silent departure from the sanctuary.
Related information
- The Tenebrae service
- Tenebrae (Wikipedia)
Traditions
Maundy pennies
In England, at Westminster Abbey, the monarch gives alms to the poor. This harkens back to an earlier practice of the sovereign washing the feet of the poor on Maundy Thursday.
Eating greens
The German word "to mourn" (grun) is very similar to the word for green (grün, with the umlaut over the u). So in Austria, Hungary, and much of Germany, Maundy Thursday is Gründonnerstag -- a day to eat spinach and green salad. Another reason for eating greens on Maundy Thursday is that the Passover Seder meal includes karpas (a green vegetable, usually parsley) and bitter herbs.
Shaving beards
In old England, men used to shave their beards on Maundy Thursday, as this was a time to cleanse the body as well as the soul to prepare for Easter
