Maundy Thursday

I meant to publish this on the actual day, but last Thursday, I attended a Maundy Thursday service at my church and thought it would be a good thing to blog about.  Essentially, the Maundy Thursday church service occurs on the day of the Last Supper, and the one I went to served the types of food that most likely would have been served two thousand years ago at such a supper.  For some kids, their First Communion was celebrated that day as well.  This celebration, which takes place every year during Holy Week on the Thursday before Easter, dates back to the first century.  It takes its name from the Latin "Dias Mandatum," which is "the day of the new commandment."  In addition, the sharefaith website (link attached at the bottom) describes a history of Maundy Thursday as follows:

"In the 12^th century, the English Church initiated a custom of distributing money to senior citizens who had performed outstanding service to the crown. Known as "Maundy Money," these specially minted coins are handed out in red and white ceremonial purses by the reigning King or Queen. Along with the giving of alms, Kings and Queens of England would also wash the feet of the poor as a way of humbling themselves. This tradition continued until the 17^th century.

In Germany, Maundy Thursday was also known as Green Thursday. The name was not due to the color green, but from the close association to the German word for "grief" or "weeping". Many families would eat only green vegetables, spinach in particular, as a way of humbling themselves before God.

In contrast to Corpus Christi, the feast of Maundy Thursday is a more somber event, and many Christians take it as a time to fast and repent before partaking of the Eucharist. This cleansing of the soul before the Good Friday service prepares the believer to better appreciate the sacrifice of Christ and the rejoicing that is to come on Easter Sunday."

http://www.sharefaith.com/guide/Christian-Holidays/history_of_maundy_thursday.html