AOn Maundy Thursday, the Thursday before Easter, the church commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. The Catholic News Agency (KNA) explains that the day owes its name not to the color, but to the Old German word “grunen” or “greinen”, which means “to cry”: Maundy Thursday as the day of “Greinenden”. mourners, penitents.
But linguists disagree: the website of the German Language Society (GfdS) states that this derivation “cannot be found in any serious German dictionary”. Instead, the word green was used in ecclesiastical usage between the 14th and 16th centuries as a synonym for “fresh”, “renewed” or “sinless”. This appears to GfdS to be the “most plausible explanation” for the origin of the name. But the debate over the name Maundy Thursday has not been finally settled.
What is the meaning of Maundy Thursday?
According to the Bible, at the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, Jesus distributed bread and wine to his disciples, setting the stage for the consecration of the Eucharist, which is performed at every Catholic Mass. The Lord's Supper is also a sacrament of the Protestant Church. Some Catholic services also have a foot washing ritual. The rite commemorates the gesture of humility of Jesus, who, according to biblical stories, washed the feet of his disciples on Maundy Thursday before communion. Pope Francis has visited prisons several times on Maundy Thursday and washed the feet of the prisoners there. This year she plans to visit a women's prison in Rome. In addition, on Maundy Thursday, the so-called Chrism Mass takes place in St. Peter's Basilica, during which the oils for fixing and anointing the sick are consecrated.
Only green is eaten
Folk tradition wants “green foods” such as spinach or watercress to be on the table on Maundy Thursday. Or in South Hessen: green sauce (Frankfurt: Grie Soß). The local Frankfurt dish is traditionally served for the first time in and around the city itself on Maundy Thursday, a day considered to be the “start signal” of the green sauce season. Other classic Maundy Thursday recipes with a less pronounced local connection include wild garlic dumplings, kale casserole or spinach salad. In Austria, spinach is considered a classic. The main thing: green. By the way, Maundy Thursday falls on Lent, and Christians usually do not eat meat on this day.
While the customs of Maundy Thursday are determined nationwide by religious celebrations and green foods, there are other interesting customs at the regional level. In Upper Lusatia, during Maundy Thursday, children go around the houses singing and reciting verses in exchange for eggs or sweets. In Mühlhausen, it is customary to eat sweet pretzels on Maundy Thursday. According to legend, anyone who doesn't will grow donkey ears. In Coburg, a rabbit even comes and hides eggs on Maundy Thursday. But it's not the Easter Bunny, no, “Grüühous” gives gifts to the people of Coburg.
And is Maundy Thursday a public holiday?
As there is no set date for Easter Sunday and Maundy Thursday is always the Thursday before Easter, the date varies depending on the year. According to the church calendar, spring begins on March 21, and the first full moon after that is called the church spring full moon. Easter is then on the first Sunday after the church spring full moon, i.e. on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21. However, if the church spring full moon itself is a Sunday, the Easter holidays are scheduled for the following Sunday. According to this calculation, Easter in 2024 will fall on March 31 and Maundy Thursday will fall on March 28.
Maundy Thursday is not a public holiday in Germany, unlike Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter. However, in some states it is considered a “quiet holiday” when dancing is prohibited. In Bavaria, the dance ban starts at 2 a.m., during the day in Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.