Christians across the world are celebrating the holy week, starting with the Palm Sunday before the Easter on April 9. Today, they are celebrating Maundy Thursday, which falls before Good Friday and Easter. The day is observed to commemorate Jesus Christ's Last Supper with his disciples. The days commemorated in the Christian calendar during the holy week are: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The holy week is a time when people devote theory time to worship.
What is Maundy Thursday?
The day marks the Last Supper, where Jesus ate with his disciples. It also commemorates a lesson Jesus taught his apostles that we should be humble and ready to wash each other's feet as a sign that we are all equal.
Continuing that tradition, some churches celebrate with a foot-washing ceremony.
On Maundy Thursday, the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church washes the feet of 12 people to re-enact Jesus washing his disciples' feet at the Last Supper.
Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, derives from the Latin word "mandatum", which means "command".
Maundy Thursday customs and traditions
There are many customs that Christians follow on this day to pay their respects to Jesus and the traditions.
In the UK, Maundy money is given every year as charity - a tradition followed by Queen Elizabeth II. Sky News quoted Royal Family officials as saying that the Queen would distribute "gifts according to the number of years she has lived".
The service dates back to 600AD and the "special coins" have kept much of the same form since 1670, Sky News further said.
Apart from this, many churches hold a communion service. Those who have been baptised, are expected to partake in the breaking of bread and drink from the cup of life.
Other traditions include a Seder Supper, a Tenebrae service, and stripping the sanctuary.
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