Maundy Thursday

The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories Hope for Today Bible

The Gnostic Gospels The Big Picture Story Bible

Maundy Thursday is the name given to the day before Good Friday in the UK and many Protestant churches. In the Catholic and Lutheran churches it is called Holy Thursday, and in Orthodox churches, Great Thursday. It is the day on which the church commemorates the Last Supper Jesus Christ ate with his disciples.

Many churches hold special services on Maundy Thursday which include reading the gospel accounts of the Last Supper. In many churches a minister or priest will wash the feet of some or all of the congregation. In the Roman Catholic Church, the service is the last Mass before the Easter Vigil.

There is a tradition in England which continues to this day, where the reigning monarch "gives alms to the poor" (of course, it's changed over the years, and the people given the Maundy Money, as it is called, are now selected by bureaucrats from a list of "deserving" senior citizens). A man and woman are selected for each year of the king/queen's age.

Maundy Money is specially minted and distributed in red and white Maundy Purses which contain one coin for every year of the sovereign's reign. The tradition dates back to the reign of King Edward I, who would also wash the feet of those chosen to receive alms - this part of the ceremony was abolished in the reign of King James II.