Maundy Thursday

English

Etymology

From Old French mandé, from Latin mandatum, in reference to the phrase mandatum novum do vobis (“a new commandment I give unto you”) (John 13:34).

Proper noun

Maundy Thursday

1. The Thursday before Easter, which commemorates the Last Supper.
   • 1960, Alfred Lewis Shoemaker, Eastertide in Pennsylvania: A Folk-Cultural Study, 2000, page 13,

     The dialect name for Maundy Thursday, Grie(ner)-Durmerschdawg (Green Thursday, literally), is in very large part responsible for the basic lore that attaches to this day: One must eat something green on this day. […] Failure to eat something green on Maundy Thursday had dire consequences, according to the folk mind: One would get the itch, one would become lousy, or as a York County informant put it, "Mer iss s gans yawr uff em aisel." (One will be a mule all year long.)

   • 2002, Steven Molin, Journey Of Stones: A Sermon Series For Lent And Easter‎^[1], page 47:

     It is the tradition among Christians in Africa on Maundy Thursday that, before the sacrament of Holy Communion is served, worshipers move about the sanctuary and seek forgiveness from everyone they have hurt or offended or sinned against — known or unknown — in recent months.

   • 2011, Donald K. McKim, More Presbyterian Questions, More Presbyterian Answers: Exploring Christian Faith‎^[2], page 42:

     Most Presbyterian churches have an evening service on Maundy Thursday that includes the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

Synonyms

• Covenant Thursday
• Great and Holy Thursday
• Green Thursday (especially in a German-speaking context)
• Holy Thursday
• Sheer Thursday
• Thursday of Mysteries

Related terms

• Maundy money

Translations

Thursday before Easter

• Armenian: Ավագ հինգշաբթի (Avag hingšabtʻi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 濯足節／濯足节 (Zhuózújié), 濯足节 (zhuózújié)

• Danish: skærtorsdag (da)
• Dutch: Witte Donderdag (nl) m
• Esperanto: sankta ĵaŭdo
• Estonian: suur neljapäev
• Faroese: skírisdagur m
• Finnish: kiirastorstai (fi)
• French: Jeudi saint
• Galician: Xoves Santo m
• German: Gründonnerstag (de) m
• Greek: Μεγάλη Πέμπτη (el) f (Megáli Pémpti)
• Hungarian: nagycsütörtök (hu)
• Icelandic: skírdagur (is) m, (archaic) skíri Þórsdagur m, (archaic) skíri dagur m
• Irish: Déardaoin Mandála m
• Italian: Giovedì santo m
• Latin: dies cenae Domini f
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• Latvian: Zaļā Ceturtdiena
• Low German:

  German Low German: Gröndunnersdag, Grööndunnersdag m, Grööndunnerdag m, Grööndonnersdag m, Grööndonnerdag m, Greundunnerdag m

• Maltese: Ħamis ix-Xirka
• Manx: Jerdein Caisht m, Jerdein Casherick m, Jerdein Chorp Chreest m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skjærtorsdag m

  Nynorsk: skjærtorsdag m

• Old Norse: skíriþórsdagr m
• Polish: Wielki Czwartek (pl) m
• Portuguese: Quinta-Feira Santa f, Quinta-feira de Endoenças f
• Romanian: Joia Mare (ro) f
• Russian: Страстной четве́рг (Страстной четве́рг), Великий четве́рг (ru) (Великий четве́рг)
• Scots: Guid Thuirsday, Skyre Thuirsday
• Spanish: Jueves Santo m
• Swedish: skärtorsdag (sv) c