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Church services and Mass es held on this day typically include a reading from the gospel account of the last supper. In this context, the feast often highlights Christ's sharing of bread and wine with the Apostles, which take on new meaning as Christ's body and blood. Maundy or Holy Thursday also stresses the Washing of the Feet which also took place during the Last Supper, according to the Gospel of John, during which Christ washed the feet of the assembled Apostles. At services on this day, a minister, priest, or lay leader(s) may wash the feet of some members of the congregation to commemorate Christ's actions and command. (The Washing of the Feet has been a traditional component of the Armenian Orthodox Church's celebration of Holy Thursday {Link without Title} .) The word ''Maundy'', originally from . Foot Washing is increasingly popular as a part of Maundy Thursday Liturgies in many churches. In the Roman Catholic Church , it is generally referred to as ''Holy Thursday''. The day has also been known as ''Sheer Thursday'', due to the idea that it is the day of cleaning (schere) and because the churches themselves would switch Liturgical Colors from the dark tones of Lent . This name is a cognate to the word still used throughout Scandinavia, such as Swedish "Skärtorsdag", Danish "Skærtorsdag" and Norwegian "Skjærtorsdag". CUSTOMS AROUND THE WORLD In the United Kingdom , the monarch traditionally distributes Maundy Money . In Germany , the day is referred to as "Gründonnerstag," a word built of two roots, "grün" ("green") and "Donnerstag" ("Thursday"). However, the word "grün" probably does not mean "green" in this case. While its etymology is somewhat unclear, many trace it back to "grinan" ("to wail") in Old High German , a word connected with the English "groan". In the s calm down until Holy Saturday , here called "White Saturday", because "they have flown to Rome ", they are in some regions replaced by groups of children walking round their village and making noise with wooden rattles. People come out of the door and give them coins. In the Philippines , a popular Maundy Thursday tradition is the Visita Iglesia (Church Visit), which involves visiting several Churches at which the faithful commemorate the vigil that the Apostles kept while Jesus prayed in the Garden Of Gethsemane . The last Mass before Easter is also celebrated on Maundy Thursday, usually including a reenactment of the Washing Of The Feet of the Apostles ; this Mass is followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament before it is taken to the Altar of Repose. SEE ALSO |
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