Maundy Thursday 2028

What is Maundy Thursday?

Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, at which Jesus shared a final meal with his disciples before his arrest. In Christian tradition it is the day on which he washed his disciples' feet and instituted the Eucharist. It opens the Easter Triduum, the three days of the Passion, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and in the Catholic Church the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper is the first liturgy of the Triduum. The Thursday is part of the Holy Triduum in Western churches, and in Orthodox churches it is Great and Holy Thursday, which also commemorates the Last Supper and includes a long service of twelve Gospel readings in the evening.

The word Maundy is generally traced to the Latin word mandatum, meaning commandment, from the words in John's Gospel in which Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment to love one another. Customs include the washing of feet by bishops and priests, the stripping of altars, the silencing of church bells, which in Catholic countries are said to fly to Rome, and in Britain the royal Maundy ceremony, in which the monarch gives specially minted coins to elderly people. In Orthodox churches, eggs are traditionally dyed red on this day in many countries, and the first Easter breads are baked.

Why it is observed

The commemoration of the Last Supper on the Thursday of Holy Week is very old, and by the early Middle Ages the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, the washing of feet and the blessing of oils were established parts of the Holy Week liturgy in the Western church. In several Northern European countries, including Denmark, Norway and Iceland, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday continued to be kept as holidays after the Reformation, and the day has stayed in the legal calendars of these countries and of Vatican City, the seat of the Catholic Church.

How the date is set

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter Sunday, three days before it. Its date follows the Western Easter, so it falls between 19 March and 22 April. Orthodox churches keep Great and Holy Thursday on the Orthodox calendar, with a different date in most years.

How it is observed

Maundy Thursday is a public holiday in Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Vatican City, and in parts of Spain, Switzerland and some other countries. Banks, offices and many shops close, and in Scandinavian countries it starts a five-day Easter break that is among the main travel periods of the year. In other countries it is an ordinary working day, with church services in the evening. Pay and time off depend on the country and the contract. Check local rules for the exact opening hours of shops and banks.