Today marks Maundy Thursday, also known as Covenant Thursday or Holy Thursday. It is a Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Washing of the Feet (Maundy) and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles, as described in the canonical gospels. On Maundy Thursday, Christians celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion by eating sacramental bread and drinking sacramental wine. According to the Bible, Holy Communion is celebrated in remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus that was broken and poured at the cross. In the evening of Maundy Thursday, church bells stop ringing and they remain silent until the Easter Virgil on Holy Saturday. This symbolises participation in Christ's suffering.
In Slovak, Maundy Thursday is called Zelený štvrtok which can be translated as "Green Thursday". One of the explanations of its name is that it refers to the green vegetation of Gethsemane - the garden in Jerusalem where, according to the New Testament, Jesus was arrested the night before his crucifixion.
Maundy Thursday initiates the Easter Triduum, the period which commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus; this period includes Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and ends on the evening of Easter or Resurrection Sunday.
However, Easter is not only a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, but also that of the coming of spring. In Slovakia, there are many folklore traditions linked to the welcoming of spring. One of them being burning a figure that represents Morena, the Slavic goddess associated with the death of winter and the rebirth of spring. Other rites related to the arrival of spring, or Vesna, include, for example, house cleaning or making new clothes.
