Why does The Queen give out money on Maundy Thursday and how does the holy day commemorate The Last Supper?
MAUNDY Thursday TODAY, it is a solemn celebration in the Christian calendar, remembering the Last Supper before Jesus was betrayed and crucified.
One of the main events to mark the occasion in Britain is a church service where the Queen hands out Maundy money to pensioners. Here's what you need to know.
Why does The Queen give out money on Maundy Thursday?
The tradition of Royal Maundy dates back to the Middle Ages when kings began distributing food and clothes to the poor.
Henry IV introduced the custom of giving out the same number of gifts as his age, which continues today.
Monarchs also used to wash the feet of worshippers in Westminster Abbey to show their humility, but this custom had faded out by the 18th century.
These days the sovereign hands out specially minted silver coins at the Royal Maundy service held each year at a different cathedral, abbey or royal chapel.
This year (2019) the Queen will be at St George's in Winchester.
Recipients are chosen for their service to the church in their local area.
What is Maundy money?
Maundy money has remained more or less the same since 1670 when Charles II began handing out stamped sterling silver coins.
The coins are a four penny, three penny, two penny and one penny piece.
After decimalisation in 1971, the face values of the coins were updated to new pence instead of old pence.
But while the portrait of the Queen on ordinary coins has changed four times during her reign, Maundy money still bears the original portrait by Mary Gillick used on the first coins issued in the year of her coronation in 1953.
After the Royal Maundy service, the Queen will hand two leather purses to each pensioner containing symbolic alms instead of the clothing and food given in the past.
A red purse contains a small gift of ordinary coins totalling £5.50: £3 in lieu of clothing, £1.50 in place of food and £1 representing money for redemption of the monarch's gown.
Recently that has taken the form of a £5 coin and a 50p.
A white purse contains 92p in silver Maundy coins, amounting to the same number of pence as the years of the sovereign’s age including the one she is now living.
Maundy coins are specially minted for the occasion and are legal tender, but most recipients keep them and they are highly collectable.
What is Maundy Thursday and how does it commemorate the Last Supper?
Maundy Thursday is also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday and Thursday of Mysteries.
It is a Christian holy day that falls on the day before Good Friday..
It honours the Last Supper of Jesus Christ and the Apostles in Jerusalem before he was betrayed.
According to St John's gospel, before the Passover meal Jesus washed his followers' feet to show his humility.
He then said: “A new commandment I give unto you: that you love one another as I have loved you.”
Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning command, used in the ceremony of the washing of the feet which forms part of some church services.
This year Maundy Thursday falls on April 18th and Easter Day is April 19th.
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