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by Simon Ushakov (1685).]] In the Christian calendar, Maundy Thursday — also called '''Holy Thursday''' and, in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, '''Great Thursday''' — is the feast or holy day on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is preceded by Spy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday . On this day four events are commemorated: the Washing Of The Disciples' Feet by Jesus Christ, the institution of the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper , the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane , the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot . The morning celebration of these events marks the beginning of what is called the Easter Triduum or Sacred Triduum. The Latin word ''triduum'' means a three-day period, and the triduum in question is that of the three days from the death to the resurrection of Jesus. It should be noted that for Jesus and his followers a day ended, and a new day began, at sunset, not at midnight, as it still does today in the modern Jewish calendar.See Boundaries Of The Day The Last Supper was held at what present-day Western civilization considers to be the evening of Holy Thursday but what was then considered to be the first hours of Friday. Its annual commemoration thus begins the three-day period or triduum of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, days of special devotion that celebrate as a single action the death and resurrection of Christ, the central events of Christianity. NAME IN ENGLISH 's ''Holy Thursday'' ( 1794 ).]] "Maundy Thursday" is the name for this day in in Latin. The word ''Maundy'' is derived through sung during the "Mandatum" ceremony of the washing of the feet, which may be held during Mass or at another time as a separate event, during which a priest or bishop (representing Christ) ceremonially washes the feet of others, typically 12 persons chosen as a cross-section of the community. SERVICES 's sculpture, from the main altar in St. Jacob's basilica in Levoča , Slovakia .]] Services held on this day typically include a reading from the Gospel account of the Last Supper, which includes Christ's taking bread and wine and, declaring them to be his body and blood, giving them to the Apostles. This day also stresses Jesus' washing of the feet of the Apostles at the start of the Last Supper, as recounted in the in many Anglican , Episcopal Episcopal Book of Occasional Services, p. 93 (1994), Lutheran , and other Protestant Christian churches. In the Roman Rite liturgy, the Holy Thursday Mass recalling the Last Supper is the last Mass before the Easter Vigil service. It usually includes a reenactment of the Washing Of The Feet of the Apostles , and is followed by a procession taking the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar Of Repose , and then by stripping of all altars except the Altar of Repose. In the Eastern Orthodox Church , Great and Holy Thursday is both a celebration of the institution of the Eucharist, and the beginning of the Passion. The Lenten character of the services is for the most part set aside, and they follow a format closer to normal. The primary service of this day is Vespers combined with the Liturgy Of St. Basil The Great . At this service is read the first Passion Gospel (), known as the "Gospel of the Testament." In addition to the usual Preparation For Holy Communion , the faithful will often receive the Mystery of Unction on Great Wednesday as preparation for the reception of Holy Communion on Great Thursday. It is customary to cover the Altar table with a simple, white linen cloth on this day, as a reminder of the Last Supper. On Great Thursday, the Reserved Sacrament is customarily renewed, a new Lamb (Host) being consecrated for the coming year, and the remaider from the previous year is Consumed . The ceremony of the Washing of Feet will normally be performed in monasteries and cathedrals. Because of the joy of the Institution of the Eucharist, on this day alone during Holy Week wine and oil are permitted at meals. OTHER NAMES For Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians this day is referred to liturgically as ''Holy and Great Thursday'', but is also called ''Great Thursday'' or ''Holy Thursday''. The day has also been known in English as ''Sheer Thursday'', from an obsolete word ''shere'' (meaning "clean" or "bright"). This name might refer to the act of cleaning, or to the fact that churches would switch Liturgical Colors from the dark tones of Lent , or because it was customary to shear the beard on that day, New Catholic Dictionary ; Omnigraphics or for a combination of reasons."The old English name for Maundy Thursday was 'Sheer Thursday', when the penitents obtained absolution, trimmed their hair and beards, and washed in preparation for Easter" ( Hungarian Saints ). This name is a cognate to the word still used throughout Scandinavia, such as Swedish "Skärtorsdag", Danish "Skærtorsdag" and Norwegian "Skjærtorsdag". ''Skär'' in Swedish is also an archaic word for ''wash''. Some secular communities refer to the day as "Easter Thursday", although technically, the correct day for this name is the following Thursday, after Easter. CUSTOMS AND NAMES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
:Up until the death of King James II , the Monarch would also wash the feet of the selected poor people. There is even an old sketch, done from life, of Queen Elizabeth I washing people's feet on Maundy Thursday.
Pope Boniface VIII revived the pilgrimage tradition in 1300 with the establishment of the Jubilee Year, and Rome became a center for pilgrimages. The seven churches developed as particular sites for visits. The seven areas may also be related to the historical seven deacons of Rome, whose responsibility was to minister to the poor in their region of the city. The first seven deacons in the Church were the seven assistants ordained by the Apostles to minister to the unable to shop. REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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