Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday 2017: Bible Verses, Passages, & Readings

The Feast of Fools was a feast day first celebrated by the clergy in Europe in the early Middle Ages. It began in northern France but later spread to the majority of Europe. Its original date of celebration was the Feast of the Circumcision on January 1, which marked the circumcision of Jesus. During this time, role reversal was also practiced to mimic Jesus washing his disciples’ feet in John 13:1-17. The Feast of Fools continued to grow in its rowdiness until it was banned by the Council of Basel in 1431, however it continued to be celebrated at some levels in France as late as 1644. Role reversal is a common theme in Christianity and is not only played out with Jesus washing his disciples' feet, but also with his mother, Mary. At the time of Jesus' birth, Judea was ruled by a Rabbinic ruling class backed by the Romans. Yet, Mary, "low" in the social hierarchy of her time as an impoverished woman and Jew, gave birth to the Christ child. It introduced the idea of power arising from "below" to a new religion, drawing from the pagan customs of the Romans.