Maundy Thursday

In the Christian church, the Thursday of Holy Week, leading up to Easter. The ceremony of washing the feet of pilgrims on that day was instituted in commemoration of Jesus' washing of the apostles' feet and observed from the 4th century to 1754.

The name Maundy (‘commandment’) refers to the instruction to love one another given by Jesus to his disciples at the Last Supper (John 13-34). Before his last meal, Jesus showed Christian love for his disciples when he washed their feet, which was usually a servant's job.

In some churches, on the evening of Maundy Thursday, a special Eucharist (Mass, Holy Communion) will be celebrated, during which the priest will wash the feet of 12 people, representing the disciples. St Mark's Gospel tells how, during the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus used the bread and wine as his body and blood (Mark 14: 22-24). For Christians, following this example of Jesus has become perhaps the most important act of worship in the church.

After the Eucharist, the altars are completely stripped of cloths and any other items. People spend time in quiet prayer, recalling the prayers of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was arrested.