Palm Sunday and Why it is Celebrated

This year, Palm Sunday takes place on March 28, 2021

But before it’s time to bake the ham for Easter, there’s Holy Week — seven days of religious significance in the Christian faith, and the final countdown to Easter. This year, Holy Week takes place from Sunday, March 28, 2021, to Saturday April 3, 2021. The first day of Holy Week is Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week, a seven-day span that culminates the day before Easter Sunday. The feast commemorates Jesus’ triumphant arrival in the city of Jerusalem for Passover, where he was greeted by a crowd of people laying palm branches at his feet. According to Christianity.com, his welcomers hoped that Jesus would overthrow the Roman government in Jerusalem. They shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” “Blessed is the king of Israel,” and other words of praise.

Nowadays, there are still palms involved in the Palm Sunday mass. Each year, palms are blessed and distributed, and many believers tie them into the shape of a cross. According to the World Catholic Library, “Because the palms are blessed, they may not be discarded as trash. Instead, they are often appropriately gathered at the church and incinerated to create the ashes that will be used in the follow year’s Ash Wednesday observance.”

The commemoration colors are red and white, due to the blood that Jesus spilled while on the cross. Churches typically enact a procession where palms are blessed and given to participants who then carry them into the Church.

According to Christians, Palm Sunday is a celebration for honoring Jesus Christ’s victorious entry into Jerusalem. While this was a joyful, special occasion for his followers, this event took place towards the end of his days on Earth before being crucified.

The story says that as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey (donkeys signify peace and humility), his followers laid out tree palms among other items in front of his path, which demonstrated unwavering respect. The palms represent peace and victory in this immense act of adoration. Fast forward to today, and it’s evident that people from all around the world celebrate this special occasion in a variety of ways.