The Eastern-Orthodox Palm Sunday and Easter
Orthodox-Christians Worldwide Celebrate Jesus' Entry into Jerusalem
Apr 10, 2009
Catholic Easter and Orthodox Easter are calculated differently, and this is the reason why most of the times they are not celebrated on the same day.
The reason for the different dates of Easter celebration is that the Roman Catholics use the Gregorian calendar, while the Eastern-Orthodox churches follow the Julian calendar.
However, it happens that both churches celebrate Easter on the same day every three or four years, as it was the case in 2001 (April 15), 2004 (April 11) and 2007 (April 8), and as it will be the case in 2010 (April 4). There were numerous attempts to agree on a common day for Easter, but a conclusion has yet to be reached. This Sunday, April 12, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Palm Sunday.
The Significance of Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is celebrated on the last Sunday before Easter and it marks the beginning of the Holy Week (the passion of the Christ). It signifies the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem on a donkey after he raised Lazarus from the dead.
People welcomed him with palm branches, expressing their joy for the arrival of the Son of God. The donkey was a well-known symbol of peace, and by riding it, Jesus Christ was regarded as the one who was bringing peace to the land. The palm branches suggested that Jesus was considered to be a king arriving in triumph.
Orthodox Traditions on Palm Sunday
Due to the fact that palm trees are scarce in Eastern Europe, people use willow branches as a symbol of the celebration. They take the branches to be blessed by the priest in the church and then place them above the entrance door of their homes until Easter, as a symbol of chastity and annual renewal of vegetation, as well as the branches that were used to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem.
They branches or palms are kept for the entire year, as it is believed that these branches can heal different diseases after being blessed in the church.
On Palm Sunday, people who are fasting (not eating anything that comes from animals, including eggs, milk, meat) are allowed to eat fish. After this day, there is another week of fasting, followed by church rituals that occur during the Holy week.
Palm Sunday is also a day when people celebrate their friends and family members who have names of flowers.
Sources:
- Encyclopedia Britannica: "Easter."
