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Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week and is celebrated by many Christian groups. It commemorates Jesus’ ride to Jerusalem on a donkey, with Bible readings telling of his crucifixion. Many churches bless palms and hold Mass or services, with some involving the congregation in reading roles. Palms are taken home and often shaped into crosses or crowns. Different countries have different names for Palm Sunday, but all celebrate the same biblical story.
Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, is a day revered by many Christian groups, including Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, and Presbyterians. It marks the beginning of Christian Holy Week, or the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Bible readings typically tell of Jesus’ ride to Jerusalem on a donkey, ending with his crucifixion on the Cross. For many Christians it is both a glorious day and a deeply sad day. The glory comes from the Bible readings that told of the crowds of people who treated Jesus as their Messiah, while the sadness comes from the betrayal, humiliation and pain Jesus experienced before he died.
Some reports indicate that Palm Sunday has been celebrated since 300. Books of Latin scripture also mention the practice of Palm Sunday, as early as 600-700. Many Christians around the world go to church and prepare for Holy Week on this day. While there may be some discrepancies between various religions, such as the color of robes the priest may wear, there are also many similarities.
In many religions and churches, Palm Sunday begins with the blessing of palms, often outside the church. After the blessing of the palms, the faithful will slowly and solemnly return inside the church. At that time, Mass or services will continue with readings that will tell the story of Jesus’ exultant ride into the city of Jerusalem, when the crowds placed their palms on the ground before him, calling him their Messiah. The Bible reading often goes on to tell the story of Jesus’ journey to the Cross, where he would eventually die five days later.
In some churches, the Bible readings on Palm Sunday are read by the head of the church alone. In some Catholic churches the readings are recited, some even give a role to the congregation. In those cases, the congregation often reads the role of the crowd, while the priest reads the role of Jesus and another church figure plays the role of Pontius Pilate.
After Mass or the service, the congregation is usually allowed to take the palms home. Since they have been blessed, they are generally placed in a safe place away from harm. Many people also shape their palms into crosses or weave them into crowns. These crosses or crowns are often placed on crosses in the home or on religious images.
Different countries have different names for Palm Sunday, but they all celebrate the same biblical story. In England it is called Branch Sunday, while in Greece it is called Lazarus Sunday. In many countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, people quit their jobs to spend time preparing for the upcoming religious week.
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