Will be in my hometown, Manchester, today for The Royal Maundy Service, which dates back at least eight centuries. It will be held at Manchester Cathedral for the very first time.
The following information comes from the Diocese of Manchester website, you can read about some of the recipients of the Maundy Money here.
During the Service, 81 men and 81 women from Greater Manchester (representing the Queen's age) will receive gifts of specially-minted Maundy money from the Queen. The recipients are all retired pensioners recommended by clergy and ministers of all denominations, in recognition of service both to the Church and their community. The Bishop of Manchester, the Right Revd Nigel McCulloch, said: "I am delighted that Her Majesty the Queen has chosen to hold the Maundy Ceremonies in Manchester. Her visit will be a highlight for the city, Greater Manchester and the diocese.” The Dean of Manchester Cathedral, the Very Revd Rogers Govender, said: "It is a great privilege for the cathedral and the city to be chosen to host the Royal Maundy in 2007. I am sure we will provide a very special place for this unique ceremony.” The gifts Each senior citizen will receive a set of silver coins made by the Royal Mint consisting of one, two, three and four-penny pieces with a total face value equal in pence to the Queen's age. The coins are distributed in ceremonial red and white purses made especially for the occasion. Each recipient is presented with one of each. The white purse contains one coin for each year of the monarch's reign. The red purse contains an allowance of £5.50 for clothing and food in place of gifts that used to be given in kind. Being rare and crafted in silver, their real worth is far higher - the symbolic gifts are a great honour and highly prized by Maundy recipients so it is difficult to put an accurate price on them. Historic roots Maundy Thursday is the Thursday in Holy Week, the annual period when Christians remember the events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. On Maundy Thursday Jesus washed the feet of the disciples after he had celebrated the Passover meal. The Distribution of Alms and the washing of the feet on the Thursday of Holy Week have a long history. The Maundy can be traced back in England to the 12th century, and there are continuous records of the Monarch distributing gifts on Maundy Thursday from the reign of King Edward I.
Whilst I'm not particularly a Royalist I do love the traditions of our country and of course the Queen and all the pomp and ceremony that goes with her is fantastic for our tourist industry. Just thought my friends from other countries might be interested in this.
My knee
Thursday 5th April
Getting there.
16 comments:
Enjoy your stay in Manchester and have a great weekend.
Thanks for your email - GAP is alright!!
la bellina mammina
I'm not actually going to Manchester, but we only live about 12 miles away so I could if I was mobile enough! So glad GAP is fine, I checked your blog first thing to find out.
Hope you have lovely weather where you are, it's fantastic here in Leeds today! :o)
talj
The sun emerged about 30 minutes ago here, it's been cloudy up to then! Enjoy!
That sounds like a very nice way to recognize people who have been of service. I never before heard of the Royal Maundy Service. Thanks. Glad your knee is coming along.
vita
Yes, one of the good traditions of our country. Thanks for the good wishes.
I still miss the People's Princess :(
early bird
Aaah don't get me started! There'll never be anyone else like her, more's the pity!
I went bird watching with my dad today and the weather was miserable until we got home and the sun came out, typical!
Hope you had a nice day.
claire
Oh what a shame, I'm sure you enjoyed the time with your dad though?
Yes it was nice anyway, we went to check out the motorbike he wants, its a beast. He is having his second mid life crisis at 47!
claire
A motorbike at 47? Why not!
I really enjoy learning about the different traditions, and GB has some of the finest traditions and festivals. I was always fascinated by the Royals and their lives. I always watch anything that I can on TV that comes from the BBC. I got up in the middle of the night to watch the wedding of Diana and Prince Charles......I remember it well. I doubt the dollar value of the Maundy gift is as important as just being a recipient. What an honor....
Why not indeed, we want him to get one instead of talking about it all the time!
How are you enjoying the egg hunt?
nea
I think our traditions are more of interest to foreign visitors - we don't always appreciate what we've got do we!
claire
It's good you're encouraging him, he's still young, not that age matters.
Loving the egg hunt it's great fun and I get to read new blogs!
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