- Also called:
- Passion Sunday
Palm Sunday
What is Palm Sunday?
What do people do with the palms from Palm Sunday?
When is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday, in the Christian tradition, the first day of Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter, commemorating Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is associated in many churches with the blessing and procession of palms (leaves of the date palm or twigs from locally available trees).
The Triumphal Entry: Biblical accounts
Jesus’ triumphal entry, commemorated as Palm Sunday, is described in all four Gospels (Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:1–11; Luke 19:28–44; and John 12:12–19). It is the event in which Jesus enters Jerusalem shortly before his arrest and crucifixion, and is greeted by enthusiastic crowds. According to the accounts, Jesus approaches the city from the Mount of Olives and sends his disciples ahead to bring him a young donkey (or colt). Jesus then rides into the city, evoking the biblical prophecy of a humble king (Zechariah 9:9). As he proceeds, people shouting “Hosanna” spread their cloaks and leafy palm branches on the road and hail him as the coming king or son of David. The scene conveys both popular recognition of Jesus’ significance and growing tension with religious authorities, who question or oppose the public acclamation. The episode stands in stark contrast to the crowds who demand his death in front of Pontius Pilate less than a week later.
History and observances
These special ceremonies were taking place toward the end of the 4th century in Jerusalem and are described in the travelogue Peregrinatio Etheriae (The Pilgrimage of Etheria). In the West the earliest evidence of the ceremonies is found in the Bobbio Sacramentary (8th century). During the Middle Ages the ceremony for the blessing of the palms was elaborate: the procession began in one church, went to a church in which the palms were blessed, and returned to the church in which the procession had originated for the singing of the liturgy. The principal feature of the liturgy that followed the procession was the chanting by three deacons of the account of the Passion of Christ (Matthew 26:36–27:54). Musical settings for the crowd parts were sometimes sung by the choir. After reforms of the Roman Catholic liturgies in 1955 and 1969, the ceremonies were somewhat simplified in order to emphasize the suffering and death of Christ.
The day is now called officially Passion Sunday. The liturgy begins with a blessing and procession of palms, but prime attention is given to a lengthy reading of the Passion, with parts taken by the priest, lectors, and congregation. The palms are often taken home by the members of the congregation to serve as sacramentals (sacred signs of the sacraments), and some of them are burned the following year to serve as the ashes for Ash Wednesday.
In the Byzantine liturgy the Eucharist on Palm Sunday is followed by a procession in which the priest carries the icon representing the events being commemorated. In the Anglican churches some of the traditional ceremonies were revived in the 19th century. The majority of Protestant churches, while celebrating the day without ritual ceremonies, give palms increasing prominence.
