Jacqueline Kelly –
Palm Sunday is also called “Passion Sunday”. In the Christian tradition, it is the first day of the Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter. On this day, processions are held with palms in memory of the procession of our Lord into Jerusalem. By this means, we honour and show our faith in Christ our King.
As we begin Holy Week, we are called to walk with Jesus and stay beside Him the whole way- to the Cross, the symbol of His unending Love, that will roll away the stone of the tomb, so that we rise with Him to a New Life.
During the Holy Week, all crucifixes and statues are veiled in purple. Purple symbolizes pain, suffering, mourning and penitence.
The colour that represents Palm Sunday is red. It is symbolic of the Passion and Blood of Christ. It is worn during the feasts of the Martyrs, Good Friday, Palm Sunday and Pentecost.
Palm Sunday is taken from the Gospels, where a whole city threw a parade for Jesus. As Jesus rode into the city, the people threw palm branches in anticipation of His coming. Thus, we get the word “Palm Sunday”. This day marked a time of celebration as Jesus was worshipped and praised. Jesus is welcomed as King by the crowd waving palms, singing “Hosanna” or “Savour” as He entered Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Passover Feast. It was their response to having witnessed His countless merciful works. Lord Jesus riding on the donkey symbolizes the regal arrival in Zechariah’s Prophecy. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!”
Jesus went to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday for two reasons:
He was against the Roman Imperial control over the City of Peace and second, against Roman Imperial control over the Temple of God. [against the rule of Pilate and his High Priest Caiaphas].
Traditionally, entering the city on a donkey symbolizes arrival in peace. Christ rode on a donkey to show He was humble. In Biblical works, donkeys were portrayed as symbols of service, suffering, peace and humility. “The Nubian donkey” has a cross on its back because it was said that this breed of donkeys carried Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
Friday before Palm Sunday is called “Friday of Sorrows”. It is a solemn and pious remembrance of the sorrowful Blessed Virgin Mary on the Friday before Palm Sunday held in the fifth week of Lent [formerly called Passion week].
Lazarus Saturday in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy is the day before Palm Sunday to which it is liturgically linked. It celebrates the raising of Lazarus of Bethany [John 11: 1-45]. The first day of the week, Palm Sunday is also known as Flower Sunday, commemorates the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem. In the Roman Rite, the name “Passion Sunday” has never been officially applied to the 6th Sunday of Lent in spite of the reading at the Mass of that day of an account in one of the Synoptic Gospels of the Passion of Christ. Until 1954, the 6th Sunday of Lent was Palm Sunday. The fourth Sunday in lent is called “Laetare Sunday”. It is Latin for “Rejoice”.
According to Jewish tradition, Jesus will enter Jerusalem [Golden Gate] from the Mount of Olives. The Golden Gate or Gate of Mercy is the only Eastern gate of the Temple Mount and one of only two gates of the Old City of Jerusalem that used to offer access into the city from the east side.
The Palm Branch is a symbol of victory over sin and eternal life, originating in the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean word. In ancient Greek mythology, palm leaves were the symbol of Nike, the winged Goddess of victory. The Greeks bestowed palm leaves upon victorious Olympic athletes. In early Christianity, palm branches became symbolic of the victory of the faithful over the enemy.
Most palms are distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen leaves, known as fronds arranged at the top of an unbranched stem. The life span of the palm tree is 70-100 years, depending on the species. The trunk of a palm tree is the structure that holds the leafy vegetation above the ground. The woody stem of the leaves is strong and is used as fuel or building material, the leaves themselves can be recycled in the palm plantation as Mulch or can be used as a base for weaving baskets and sometimes the leaf as a whole is used in fences and temporary constructions.
It is called Palm because it is the tropical tree of the order Palmae, the date – palm, latin palma “palm tree”, originally “Palm of the hand”, the tree so called from the shape of its leaves, like fingers of a hand.
The palms are blessed before the High Mass on Palm Sunday. Vested in red cope and standing at the Epistle side of the Altar, the Priest recites a short prayer, and then reads from the Book of Exodus which tells of the children of Israel coming to Elim on their way to the Promised Land, where they found a fountain and seventy palm trees. It was at Elim that God sent them manna. After a few verses from the New Testament, the Priest reads about Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem the Sunday before His death.
The palms are distributed to the people and some of the same palm branches are burned the next year to make the ashes for the next Ash Wednesday – the palms, which symbolize triumph, and the ashes, which symbolize death and penitence, forming a great symbolic connection between suffering and victory.
The branches given to the faithful are held in the hand at the singing or reading of the Passion and the Gospel during Mass, but after Mass, we take them home and hang them over crucifixes or holy pictures or shape the palm into Latin Crosses before hanging them. The next year, when we get new palms, the old palms are burned and their ashes buried.
Many Christian cultures have different traditions such as special liturgies, services, floats, sculptures or live re-enactments of Christ’s life, His arrest and crucifixion. There are many food traditions associated with this sacred day too.
In India, most of the Catholic Churches bless the palms and they are distributed after Mass. Palm fronds are folded into Crosses and are kept on the Altar.
Greek Orthodox Christians carry a small woven palm cross, which is given out during Palm Sunday morning Church service.
The Greek Orthodox Church permits the consumption of fish, oil and wine but not dairy products, eggs, chicken or red meat.
In Greece, bakaliaros or fried salt cod, is the traditional Palm Sunday meal.
Fish is seen as one of the earliest symbols of Christianity and the first Christians used the word “IXTHIS” [Ancient Greek word for fish].
Levant- Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria
Pilgrims descend the Mount of Olives singing hymns and waving palm fronds, reenacting Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. It is popular for children to dress up as Easter witches and go door to door in the neighbourhoods for coins and candy The Priest will take an olive or palm branch and splash holy water on the faithful.
Italy– Palm Sunday [Domenica delle Palme in Italian] The event is commemorated by Churches handing out small olive branches to the faithful attending mass. In some parts of Italy, homemade fettuccini pasta topped with tomato sauce, bread crumbs and chopped nuts is the Palm Sunday dish.
In Ireland, it is known as Domhnach an lùir,[Yew Sunday]. Palm branches are blessed with holy water. Palm branches were worn in the buttonhole or hung on the wall.
In England, on Palm Sunday, children are given Crosses made from single palm leaves. Many Churches have a procession in or around the Church while people sing songs of praise and wave palm leaves.
Traditional foods on Palm Sunday include fig pudding because Jesus is said to have eaten figs on His entry into the city of Jerusalem. In Wales, the day is known as Sul y Blodau or Flowering Day because of the association with the flowering of the fig tree.
During the Middle Ages, the Churches would hand out small biscuits called Pax cakes after Palm Sunday service. The name is derived from the Latin word for peace, to signify reconciliation and goodwill. The cakes are marked with a lamb shape to represent the Lamb of God.
Peas or Carlings were eaten in the North of England and Scotland. In England, Palm Sunday came to be known as Carling Sunday and in Scotland it was called Car-Sunday. Pea soup or peas porridge was commonly eaten in Scotland and Northern England. This ancient practice is said to stem from pilgrims having a hard pea in their shoes as a mark of penance during lent and eating a pea-based dish marked the end of this penance.
In Romania and Moldova, it is known as Duminica Floriilor or Florii [Flowers’ Sunday].
In Poland, people make artificial palm leaves and decorate them with tissue paper, flowers and ribbons as palm trees do not grow in Poland.
In Latvia, the day is known as Pussy Willow Sunday because the Catkins, the furry part of the Pussy Willow appear in early spring.
In Bulgaria, Palm Sunday is called Flower Day because of the springtime blooms. People make wreaths of pussy willows and flowers, decorate their homes and have big family dinners.
In Norway, people decorate their homes with birch twigs and painted eggs for Palm Sunday.
In Netherlands, kids have a procession where they carry Crosses decorated with ribbons. On top of the Cross is a rooster made out of bread.
In Belgium, there are Palm Sunday processions and kids go door-to-door offering palm leaves in exchange for coins.
Finland– Children dress up and go around offering willow branches in exchange for sweets.
In Haiti, many celebrations involve processions and bands playing drums, maracas and trumpets.
Ghana– Processions of Church congregations singing praises to God while waving palm branches and white handkerchiefs.
Egypt and Ethiopia– Orthodox laities wear headbands of palm leaves. Palm Sunday is called “Hosanna Sunday”. Palm leaves are blessed and distributed.
Mexico– Palm Sunday [Domingo de Ramos] marks the beginning of the Holy Week [Semana Santa]. Churches are decorated with palms to celebrate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Portugal– They go to Church with palm leaves or olive branches. Palm leaves are hung in the form of a Cross on the streets. Children give their god-parents small gifts-chocolates or almonds.
Spain– In many areas there are colourful processions with the palm fronds to commemorate the journey of Christ. It continues until Lunes de Pascua, the Monday after Easter.
Philippines– People go to Church on Palm Sunday and have their woven palm fronds or palaspas blessed by a Priest and brought home for good luck. The typical practice of waving palm fronds when the Priest enters the Church is a reenactment of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem.
In France, they go to Church to have their box-tree or palm branches blessed. They then take these branches home to decorate the front door, because some believe they receive God’s protection for the coming year. Some people also use these blessed branches as decorations for their loved one’s graves.
Germany– In Southern States, the Priest leads the Palm procession, riding on a donkey, or a wooden donkey [Palmesel] with a figure of Christ.
Malta– The palm and olive leaves are blessed and people take a small branch to their homes because it is sacramental.
Prayer for Palm Sunday
Merciful God, as we enter Holy Week, turn our hearts again to Jerusalem, and to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Stir up within us the gift of faith, that we may not only praise Him with our lips, but may follow Him in the Way of the Cross.