Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of Muslim, Christian, and Hindu refugees, both men and women, during a Maundy Thursday mass with asylum seekers at a shelter in Castelnuovo di Porto, outside Rome, Italy, March 24, 2016. Source: Britannica Image: Sipa USA/AP Images
Derivation of the name "Maundy"
Maundy is the name of the Christian rite of footwashing, which traditionally occurs during Maundy Thursday church services.
The English word maundy in the name for the day is derived through Middle English and Old French mandé, from the Latinmandatum (also the origin of the English word "mandate"), the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.") This statement by Jesus in the Gospel ofJohn 13:34 by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet. Source: Wiki
Others theorize that the English name "Maundy Thursday" arose from "maundsor baskets" or "maundy purses" of alms which the king of England distributed to certain poor at Whitehall before attending Mass on that day. Thus, "maund" is connected to the Latin mendicare, and French mendier, to beg. A source from the Shepherd of the Springs, Lutheran Church likewise states that, if the name was derived from the Latin mandatum, we would call the day Mandy Thursday, or Mandate Thursday, or even Mandatum Thursday; and that the term "Maundy" comes in fact from the Latin mendicare, Old French mendier, and English maund, which as a verb means to beg and as a noun refers to a small basket held out by maunders as they maunded. Other sources reject this etymology. Source: Wiki