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Maundy
Thursday is a Christian festival celebrated
by Christians around the world, especially
in countries dominated by Christianity such
as large parts of Europe, USA etc. The day
is celebrated on a Thursday before Easter
and usually falls in the early parts of
April. The day is celebrated to commemorate
the occasion of Last Supper of Jesus Christ,
as described in the Bible, whereby Jesus
shared a meal with his disciples a day
before his crucification.
The word Maundy is believed to be derived
from the word “mandatum” which literally
means commands, and this refers to the
commandments given by Jesus to his disciples
on this day. Maundy Thursday is perhaps one
of the oldest holy traditions in
Christianity with evidence of the day being
observed from medieval times itself. In
olden days, the festival was better known as
Shere Thursday, with Shere literally
translating to “guilt free.”
Back then, Christians believed that penance
on this day was the way to get rid of all
the sins and to achieve purity of the soul.
Baptism was also strongly related to the
day, and the tradition continues to this day
in some parts of Europe.
The ways of celebrating Maundy Thursday
differ from region to region. Generally
speaking, it is a more solemn festival as
compared to Easter, with people spending
their time praying and doing communal
service. Although over time, the festival
has lost its significance, with many
churches around the world not celebrating
the day, there are still some who celebrate
the day with all its traditions and customs.
A tradition associated with this day which
is common across all the churches is the act
of washing feet of the old and the ill. This
ceremony is a replication of what, according
to Bible, Jesus Christ did on this day.
According to Bible, Jesus Christ washed the
feet of his disciples on this day to show
his love for humanity. Apart from that,
Bible also states that Jesus shared bread
and wine with his disciples, and that’s why,
an important tradition of Maundy Thursday is
communion service.
Most churches on this day organize mass
communions on this day, with people helping
feed the poor, the old and the ill. In some
parts of the world, such as England, there
are unique traditions associated with the
day such as distributing purses to the poor. |
