Holy Thursday
| Maundy Thursday | |
|---|---|
The Mystical Supper, Icon by Simon Ushakov (1685).
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| Also called | Holy Thursday Covenant Thursday Great and Holy Thursday Thursday of Mysteries Sheer Thursday |
| Observed by | Christians |
| Type | Christian / Civic |
| Significance | commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ |
| Observances | Mass; distribution of Maundy money |
| Date | Thursday before Easter |
| 2016 date |
March 24 (Western) April 28 (Eastern) |
| 2017 date |
April 13 (Western) April 13 (Eastern) |
| 2018 date |
March 29 (Western) April 5 (Eastern) |
| 2019 date |
April 18 (Western) April 25 (Eastern) |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Holy Week |
March 24 (Western)
April 13 (Western)
March 29 (Western)
April 18 (Western)
Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries) is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels. 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, but these dates fall on different days depending on whether the Gregorian or Julian calendar is used liturgically. Eastern churches generally use the Julian calendar, and so celebrate this feast throughout the 21st century between 1 April and 5 May in the more commonly used Gregorian calendar. The liturgy held on the evening of Maundy Thursday initiates the Easter Triduum, the period which commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ; this period includes Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and ends on the evening of Easter. The Mass or service of worship is normally celebrated in the evening, when Friday begins according to Jewish tradition, as, according to the three Synoptic Gospels, the Last Supper was held on the feast of Passover; according to the Gospel of John, however, Jesus had his last supper on Nisan 14, the night before the first night of Passover.
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