Maundy Thursday, also known as
Holy Thursday,
Great and Holy Thursday, and
Thursday of Mysteries, is the
Christian feast or holy day falling on the
Thursday before
Easter that commemorates the
Last Supper of
Jesus Christ with the
Apostles. It is the fifth day of
Holy Week, and is preceded by
Holy Wednesday and followed by
Good Friday. The date is always between 19 March and 22 April inclusive. These dates in the
Julian calendar, on which
Eastern churches in general base their calculations of the date of Easter, correspond throughout the twenty-first century to 1 April and 5 May in the more commonly used Gregorian calendar.
The Mass of the Lord's Supper initiates the Easter Triduum, the three days of Friday, Saturday and Sunday that commemorate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.[1] It is normally celebrated in the evening, when according to Jewish tradition Friday begins.
Use of the names "Maundy Thursday", "Holy Thursday" and the others is not evenly distributed. What is considered the normal name for the day varies according to geographical area and religious allegiance. Thus, while in England "Maundy Thursday" is the normal term, this term is almost never used in Ireland. The same person may use one term in a religious context and another in the context of the civil calendar of the country in which he lives.
The Anglican Church uses the name "Maundy Thursday" in the Book of Common Prayer, where it treats "Holy Thursday" as an alternative name for Ascension Day.[2][3] But outside of the official texts of the liturgy, Anglicans sometimes apply the name "Holy Thursday" to the day before Good Friday.[4]
