Today, according to the church calendar is Maundy Thursday. Maundy came from the word in Latin `mandatum' referring to Christ's commandment concerning foot-washing; also the day on which the first Lord's Supper was celebrated. It is on this evening where Jesus instituted the sacrament of the Holy Communion when He partake of the bread and wine with His disciples just before He was arrested, sentenced, tortured and finally crucified. Jesus also shown His humility in the act of washing His disciples' feet.
It is the custom of the Roman Catholic as well as the Episcopal Church to observe this day. As a time to remember the origins of the Lord's Supper and also the Lord's humility towards people. In normal Maundy Thursday service, the Holy Communion is once again celebrated and after that the Priest will remove his vestments and start washing the feet of twelve selected church members.
When everything is completed, it is also the traditions of the church to 'strip the altar' whereby all ornaments found hanging on the walls of the sanctuary are either taken down or covered up with a cloth and altar being stripped off its decorative altar linen and for once throughout the entire year is being laid bare and uncovered. Remaining objects such as cross,candlesticks, and other objects left are also removed from its original positions and the sanctuary left empty of them. The service finally ends with the congregation leaving the church without dismissal hymn and after the entire church has its lights extinguished.
