Maundy Thursday
Today is Maundy Thursday.
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist.
The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The word maundy comes from the command (mandate) given by Christ at the Last Supper, that we should love one another.
In Roman Catholic churches the anthem Mandatum novum do vobis (a new commandment I give to you) would be sung on Maundy Thursday.
In many other countries this day is known as Holy Thursday.
Maundy Thursday ceremonies
In Britain, the sovereign takes part in the Ceremony of the Royal Maundy.
This ceremony, held at a great cathedral, involves the distribution of Maundy money to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age), usually chosen for having done service to their community.
They receive ceremonial red and white purses which contain coins made especially for the occasion. The white purse contains one coin for each year of the monarch's reign.
The red purse contains money in place of other gifts that used to be given to the poor.
In the 17th century, and earlier, the King or Queen would wash the feet of the selected poor people as a gesture of humility, and in remembrance of Jesus' washing the feet of the disciples. The last monarch to do this was James 2. The ceremony of the monarch giving money to the poor on this day dates back to Edward 1.
Pedilavium: the washing of the feet
Roman Catholic church services feature a ceremony in which the priest washes the feet of 12 people to commemorate Jesus' washing the feet of his disciples.
It was common in monasteries throughout history for the Abbot to wash the feet of the monks in a similar gesture.
Some other churches nowadays also have foot-washing ceremonies as part of their Maundy Thursday services.
The consecration of holy oil
In Roman Catholic churches, Maundy Thursday is usually the day on which the supply of anointing oil to be used in ceremonies during the year is consecrated.
This is done at a special Chrism Mass.
She gave red purses containing £5 coins and 50p pieces to 84 men and 84 women to mark her age.
The recipients were all pensioners recommended by the clergy in recognition of service to the church and the community.
They also received a white purse containing uniquely minted coins, the sum of which equals the Queen's age.
During the service, the Queen was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
Later, the Queen will go on to open the new Royal Derby Hospital.
Sterling silver
Monarchs have given money to their subjects on Maundy Thursday since the 13th Century, although the tradition of them washing the recipients' feet ended centuries ago.
The coins have traditionally been stuck in sterling and are legal tender. They were changed from old currency to new following decimalisation in 1971.
At the ceremony the Queen hands two small leather string purses to each recipient.
The money in the red purse is money in lieu of food and clothing while the money in the white purse is as much in pence as the Queen's age.
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist.
The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The word maundy comes from the command (mandate) given by Christ at the Last Supper, that we should love one another.
In Roman Catholic churches the anthem Mandatum novum do vobis (a new commandment I give to you) would be sung on Maundy Thursday.
In many other countries this day is known as Holy Thursday.
Maundy Thursday ceremonies
In Britain, the sovereign takes part in the Ceremony of the Royal Maundy.
This ceremony, held at a great cathedral, involves the distribution of Maundy money to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age), usually chosen for having done service to their community.
They receive ceremonial red and white purses which contain coins made especially for the occasion. The white purse contains one coin for each year of the monarch's reign.
The red purse contains money in place of other gifts that used to be given to the poor.
In the 17th century, and earlier, the King or Queen would wash the feet of the selected poor people as a gesture of humility, and in remembrance of Jesus' washing the feet of the disciples. The last monarch to do this was James 2. The ceremony of the monarch giving money to the poor on this day dates back to Edward 1.
Pedilavium: the washing of the feet
Roman Catholic church services feature a ceremony in which the priest washes the feet of 12 people to commemorate Jesus' washing the feet of his disciples.
It was common in monasteries throughout history for the Abbot to wash the feet of the monks in a similar gesture.
Some other churches nowadays also have foot-washing ceremonies as part of their Maundy Thursday services.
The consecration of holy oil
In Roman Catholic churches, Maundy Thursday is usually the day on which the supply of anointing oil to be used in ceremonies during the year is consecrated.
This is done at a special Chrism Mass.
Queen hands out Maundy money at Derby Cathedral
The Queen has presented Maundy money to pensioners during a service at Derby Cathedral on Thursday.She gave red purses containing £5 coins and 50p pieces to 84 men and 84 women to mark her age.
The recipients were all pensioners recommended by the clergy in recognition of service to the church and the community.
They also received a white purse containing uniquely minted coins, the sum of which equals the Queen's age.
During the service, the Queen was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
Later, the Queen will go on to open the new Royal Derby Hospital.
Sterling silver
Monarchs have given money to their subjects on Maundy Thursday since the 13th Century, although the tradition of them washing the recipients' feet ended centuries ago.
The coins have traditionally been stuck in sterling and are legal tender. They were changed from old currency to new following decimalisation in 1971.
At the ceremony the Queen hands two small leather string purses to each recipient.
The money in the red purse is money in lieu of food and clothing while the money in the white purse is as much in pence as the Queen's age.
Watch the Queen distribute the purses:
Source: You Tube (The Royal Family)Key Words Queen Maundy 1952
Source: You Tube (The Royal Family) Key Words: Queen Derby Maundy
Read here the recipe for Hot Cross Buns - an Easter tradition in the UK.
Comments
Maundy Thursday is in United Kingdom like in Spain and I think it is similar in the rest of the world. Pedilavium remembers the last day of the Last Supper when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as they said in the article, but they said nothing about the distribution of money. I want to remember that according to the tradition Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins. I think the Queen handed out money to remember this event. It´s good that the Queen gave money to pensioners because they are poor and they don´t have money. LOL.
This kind of ceremonies dates back to more than two centuries and a lot of people remember it but, nowadays, there be fewer and fewer people who show interest in it. I think that it´s a important component to tourism industry in Spain, for this reason it is promoted by institutions. In any way, we can go on holidays and we can enjoy hiking throughout the quiet countryside.
See you.
I was glad to have missed the Holy Week in Spain. I can't stand all the wailing; it's more interesting to watch paint dry.(I should say that I respect those who have a different viewpoint to me as I am sure they respect my opinion)
Maundy Thursday is in the United Kingdom like in Spain and I think it is similar in the rest of the world. Pedilavium remembers the last day of the Last Supper when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples as they said in the article, but they said nothing about the distribution of money. I want to remember that according to the tradition Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins. I think the Queen handed out money to commemorate this event. It´s good that the Queen gave money to pensioners because they are poor and they don´t have money. LOL.
This ceremony dates back more than two centuries / dates back to the 18th century and a lot of people celebrate it but, nowadays, there are fewer and fewer people who show interest in it. I think that it´s an important/ component to the tourism industry in Spain, for this reason it is promoted by institutions. Anyway, we can go on holiday and we can enjoy hiking throughout the quiet countryside.