Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist. The word Maundy" comes from the French word, "Mande," meaning "command" or "mandate” and is taken from the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, "love one another as I have loved you.”
In Britain, the Queen takes part in the Ceremony of the Royal Maundy, which dates back to Edward 1. This involves the distribution of Maundy Money to deserving senior citizens (one man and one woman for each year of the sovereign's age), usually chosen for having done service to their community. They receive ceremonial red and white purses which contain coins made especially for the occasion. The white purse contains one coin for each year of the monarch's reign. The red purse contains money in place of other gifts that used to be given to the poor.
In the 17th century, and earlier, the King or Queen would wash the feet of the selected poor people as a gesture of humility, and in remembrance of Jesus's washing the feet of the disciples. Suffice to say that doesn't happen any more, in fact the last monarch to do this was James 2.
the Last Supper – la Cène
Eucharist – l’Eucharistie
to mean – signifier
to involve – impliquer
deserving – méritant, méritoire
a senior citizen – personne du troisième âge
a purse – une bourse, une porte-monnaie
a coin – une pièce de monnaie
made – (ici – battue monnaie)
that used to be given – qu’on donnait
selected – séléctionné, choisi
a gesture – un geste
in remembrance – en souvenir, en mémoire
suffice to say – il suffit de dire
Taken from: http://www.learnenglish.de/culture/easter.html
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