Royal Maundy

Royal Maundy is a religious service in the Church of England held the day before Good Friday. In the Middle Ages, English monarchs washed the feet of beggars in imitation of Jesus, and presented gifts and money to the poor. Today, Queen Elizabeth II almost always attends, and the service is held in a different church every year.

About Royal Maundy in brief

Royal Maundy is a religious service in the Church of England held the day before Good Friday. At the service, the British monarch or a royal official distributes small silver coins known as \”Maundy money\” as symbolic alms to elderly recipients. The coins are legal tender but do not circulate because of their silver content and numismatic value. A small sum of ordinary money is also given in lieu of gifts of clothing and food that the sovereign once bestowed on recipients. In the Middle Ages, English monarchs washed the feet of beggars in imitation of Jesus, and presented gifts and money to the poor. Until the 18th century the coins given were from the circulating coinage, and it was not until the latter half of the century that they developed as distinct, noncirculating pieces. Today, Queen Elizabeth II almost always attends, and the service is held in a different church every year. Recipients were once chosen for their poverty and were entitled to remain as MaundY recipients for life; today new recipients are chosen every year for service to their churches or communities, on the recommendation of clergymen of various Christian denominations. In most years there are fewer than 2,000 complete sets of Maunded money; they are highly sought after by collectors. In 2011 and 2012, the service was held in or near London, in most years in the early 20th century at Westminster Abbey.

The first English monarch to be recorded distributing alms was John, who on 15 April 1210 donated garments, food, and other gifts to Knaresborough, Yorkshire, and as food at a service in 1212. John is also the first monarch to give 13pence to each of the poor at a ceremony in 1213, when he gave 13 pence each to the 13 poor men in Rochester. Henry III’s children assisted him as part of the rituals of the service; records show he’s not alone in performing the rituals. Few details of the 13th century Maundys are known to have existed from which records of their religious training show which children were involved. The ceremony, known as the pedilavium, was performed daily in some monasteries; in 992, Bishop Oswald of Worcester died during its performance. By the fourth or fifth century a ceremony had been developed following Holy Communion on Maunday Thursday, in which high Church leaders washed thefeet of thepoor. The word Maundi derives from the command or mandatum by Christ at the Last Supper, to love one another. It is recorded that Jesus washed their feet, and gave them the following mandatum or command: “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done unto you. \” Mandatum is the derivation of the word ‘Maundi’’

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