Maundy Thursday Countdown

Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday, falls on the Thursday before Easter and commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. It opens the Easter Triduum, the three most solemn days of the Christian year.

History

Maundy Thursday reaches back to the very origins of Christian worship. The Gospels describe Jesus sharing a final Passover meal with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion, breaking bread and sharing wine with the words that became the heart of the Eucharist, and washing his disciples' feet as an example of humble service. Christians were commemorating that evening from the earliest centuries: the Spanish pilgrim Egeria, visiting Jerusalem in the 380s, described the faithful gathering on this Thursday for special services that stretched late into the night, and the Council of Hippo in 393 already treated the day as an established feast. The English name comes from the Latin 'mandatum novum' — the 'new commandment' Jesus gave at the supper, 'that you love one another'. The word passed through Old French 'mandé' into Middle English as 'maundy', and the foot-washing rite itself is still called the Mandatum. Through the medieval period the day gathered a rich liturgy: bishops consecrated the holy oils at the Chrism Mass, penitents were reconciled before Easter, and monarchs and abbots knelt to wash the feet of the poor in imitation of Christ. Some of those customs survive in striking forms. English sovereigns have distributed alms on this day since at least the thirteenth century, a ceremony that continues as the Royal Maundy, in which specially minted Maundy money is given to elderly people honoured for community service. In central Europe the day became 'Green Thursday' — Gründonnerstag in German — traditionally marked by eating fresh green foods, while in many countries the evening liturgy still ends with the altar stripped bare and a quiet watch of prayer that leads into Good Friday.

Meaning

For Christians, Maundy Thursday holds three great themes in a single evening: the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, the example of humble service given when Jesus washed his disciples' feet, and the new commandment to love one another. It is also the traditional birthday of the Christian priesthood, which is why clergy in many traditions renew their ordination promises at the Chrism Mass that morning. The day marks a turning point in Holy Week. With the evening liturgy the Easter Triduum begins — one continuous observance running through Good Friday and Holy Saturday to Easter itself. The stripping of the altar and the silent watch of prayer that follow the service create one of the most intimate and moving moments of the church year, a night of gratitude, humility and quiet anticipation before Easter's joy.