A priest walks past and blesses palms at Minor Basilica of St. Dominic in San Carlos, Pangasinan, Philippines. Photo by LMP 2001, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
SUNDAY, APRIL 13: Both Western and Eastern Christians begin preparations for the pivotal week to come on Palm Sunday (or, as it is known in the Eastern Orthodox Christian church, the Triumphal Entry of our Lord into Jerusalem), commemorating Jesus’ ceremonial entry into the city of Jerusalem. Holy Week commences with Palm Sunday, and according to all four canonical Gospels, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. In joyful exultation, the crowds that had gathered in Jerusalem laid down clothing and small branches in his path.
NOTE: This year, calendars coincide and both the Western Christian Easter and the Eastern Orthodox Christian Easter, known as Pascha, fall on Sunday, April 20.
THE PALM BRANCH: YESTERDAY AND TODAY
Thousands of years ago, palm branches symbolized integrity and triumph. The palm-branch symbol sometimes showed up on coins and decorated important buildings and temples. In Roman Catholic, Anglican and many Protestant congregations, palm fronds are blessed and distributed on Palm Sunday. Though local species of branches may be substituted where palm fronds are unavailable—for example, box, yew, willow and olive branches are also used, among others—the branch most widely distributed is the palm. In some parishes, a procession also occurs on this Sunday. The blessed palms, regarded as sacred objects in the Catholic Church, are often kept behind household crucifixes or holy pictures and, tradition says, these fronds could be burned at next year’s Ash Wednesday services.
In the Eastern Orthodox Christian church, today is marked as one of twelve major feast days of the calendar year. Known also as “Willow Sunday” in some Eastern traditions, palms are distributed and hymns of praise are sung. The Saturday immediately preceding Willow Sunday—known as Lazarus Saturday—recalls the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and, since this event raised excitement in the people who would joyously welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, these two observances are marked back-to-back in the Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It is also believed that the raising of Lazarus foreshadowed the resurrection of Christ, and so Lazarus Saturday is also known as “little Pascha.”
PALM BRAIDING
Every year our readers ask for tips on palm braiding, so here are this year’s best tips:
Watch tutorials on palm braiding, or use step-by-step instructions, with help from YouTube, Catholic Inspired and Fish Eaters.
In countries where palm fronds are widely available, such as Spain and Mexico, the weaving of intricate designs and figures is common practice on Palm Sunday. In Latvia, pussy willows are blessed and, traditionally, used to swat children awake on the morning of Palm Sunday. In Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, Palm Sunday is an occasion for family and is extremely popular, complete with palm weaving, processions and a splashing of holy water. In the Philippines, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is reenacted.
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