Today is Maundy Thursday – the most important day of Holy Week. In Christian tradition, the fourth day of Holy Week commemorates the Last Supper.
On Maundy Thursday, the Lord Jesus Christ celebrated the Passover in the home of a resident of Jerusalem. Before the supper, He washed the feet of the apostles and said: “I did not come to serve, but to serve”.
Then the Savior instituted the holy sacrament of the Eucharist (Communion), as he Himself administered communion to the holy apostles. By His great mercy, the Lord also gives us the opportunity to receive His true body and blood during the Holy Liturgy, so that by receiving Christ within us, we strive to retain Him through the purity of our heart.
After bequeathing the new commandment of love to all, Christ revealed to His disciples that He would be betrayed. Confused, the disciples asked who would do this. He also asked Judas, and Christ answered him so meekly that the others did not understand. Judas got up and went out, and they thought he was going to make purchases, because he was a treasurer.
After dinner, Christ with the apostles went to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prayed until the traitor came.
According to tradition, Easter eggs are dyed early in the morning on Maundy Thursday or on Holy Saturday before the holiday. The first egg should be red. With it, the sign of the cross is made on the foreheads of the children, and then on all the rest of the family. This egg is set aside from the others and replaced with last year’s egg, which has been in the house until now, to bring health, joy and happiness to its inhabitants.
In our country, traditionally, on Maundy Thursday, the kozunaks are also involved in the celebration. Kozunak is a sweet ritual bread that symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ, just like the red-painted eggs – his blood. Usually, the kozunak is made in a round shape and decorated with braids, and a red egg is also placed in the middle.
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