For many people Easter is little more than chocolate eggs and a four day weekend, however for Christians it is what the whole of our faith is based on.

Easter is the time Christ was crucified to pay the price for all our sins and three days later He rose again. It confirmed He was who He said He was and that He holds absolute sovereignty over life and death.

Both Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified, and Easter Sunday, when He rose from the dead, are well known among Christians and non-Christians alike. However before we get to those dates we mark a much less known, but also key, date in the Easter calendar. 

The day before Good Friday is known as Maundy Thursday - but what is Maundy Thursday and why is it so important?

What is Maundy Thursday?

Maundy Thursday takes its name from the Latin word for commandment - mandatum - which refers to the instructions Jesus game his disciples on the night before his crucifixion.

At what has become known as The last Supper Jesus washed his disciples' feet. This would have been unthinkable in those times when people would have been walking for hours on dusty and dirty roads leaving them with filthy feet. It was a job usually done by a servant as it was considered so lowly.

Jesus told them: "I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet. I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you." (John 13: 14-15)

By this act he gave his disciples a demonstration of how he was serving them and so how they should go on to serve other people - and not just by washing people's feet. Jesus told them: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." (John 13:34).

Now while you could ask surely this is an old commandment as Leviticus 19:18 tells us "Love your neighbour as yourself" Jesus, by his demonstration of humbling himself to wash their feet made it more than clear that his followers should care for other people.

Today's Christians are still expected to follow that instruction.

What do people do on Maundy Thursday?

On Maundy Thursday services are held at churches across the world which often include people reflecting on the events on the night before Jesus's death.

In the United Kingdom the monarch offers Maundy money, also known as Royal Maundy, to selected senior citizens - one man and one woman for each year of the monarch's age during a church service. Red and white purses are given to those selected. The red purse traditionally contains an allowance for clothing and provisions and the white purse holds Maundy coins to match the monarch’s age.

Is Maundy Thursday a public holiday?

Unlike Good Friday and Easter Monday, Maundy Thursday is not a bank holiday in the United Kingdom so it is work as usual for most people. However some countries do give people the day off.

Does it have any other names?

In many countries the day is known as Holy Thursday.

Is it always on the same date?

Like Easter, Maundy Thursday is on a different date every year. It always comes on the last Thursday before Easter.

Where can I go to a Maundy Thursday service in Hartlepool?

Our Maundy Thursday service this year will be held at West View Baptist Church at 7.30pm where Pastor Phil Dixon will lead.