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Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday or Great and Holy Thursday), is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday. In 2009, Maundy Thursday will occur on April 9th for Western Christian traditions including Roman Catholicism.

The Washing of the Feet is a traditional component of the celebration in many Christian Churches, including the Armenian, Ethiopian, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Brethren, Mennonite, Presbyterian, and Roman Catholic Churches, and is becoming increasingly popular as a part of the Maundy Thursday liturgy in the Anglican/Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist Churches, as well as in other Protestant denominations. In the Roman Catholic Church, the mass begins with the singing of the Gloria and the ringing of bells, which are then silent until the Easter Vigil. The service concludes with a procession taking the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, and then by stripping all the altars except the Altar of Repose. In other Christian denominations, such as the Lutheran Church or Methodist Church, the stripping of the altar and other items on the chancel also occurs, as a preparation for the somber Good Friday service.

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