The customs of Maundy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday the Divine Drama moves towards its climax. On this day, the Last Supper takes place, where Jesus communes with his disciples by giving them a piece of bread that symbolizes his body and wine that symbolizes his blood.

On Maundy Thursday night, the Twelve Gospels are sung and the Cross with Jesus walks around the church. After the 12 Gospels are finished, girls undertake to decorate the Epitaph. The main custom of Maundy Thursday is the dyeing of red eggs and kneading of buns. On this day housewives do not wash, iron or do other household chores. In Lemnos, the first Easter egg belongs to the Virgin and is placed on the iconostasis. In Sifnos, women make the so-called "Bright Birds", which are buns in different shapes of birds or animals, which are decorated with red eggs. In Western Macedonia, women spread red cloths on the balcony and grieving families don't dye eggs red but some other color. In Chania they make a human effigy of Judas out of wood, which they take around the whole village and beat.