The Sunday before Easter is usually known as Palm Sunday. It is a moveable Christian feast just like Easter Sunday and Good Friday and it falls during lent, the 40 days of fasting in orthodox Christian faiths. While Palm Sunday isn’t as universally well known as Easter or Good Friday, it remains an important part of the Christian calendar for sure. We try to find the reasons behind the celebration of this day.
It marks the beginning of the Holy Week
Also known as “Passion Sunday”, Palm Sunday is recognized by many churches as the day that marks the beginning of the holy week, i.e., the seven day period preceding Easter Sunday. The feast finds a mention in all four canonical Gospels which are often cited by experts as being definitive proof of the importance of the day for Christians,
It marked Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem
It is believed that on Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ walked into Jerusalem. As Jesus made his way into the city, jubilant crowds greeted him and cheered him on by waving palm branches as he walked through the streets. There are also accounts of people lining his path with palm branches as a means of showing their support of his deeds.
This celebration in the ministry of Jesus is followed by the journey of Christ to the Cross, His death on the cross on Good Friday and his eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday,
Other beliefs
Some Christian churches believe that Palm Sunday represents the adoration and support that Jesus received from the citizens of Jerusalem as well as the crowds that thronged his path as he rode into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday thus came to stand for the love that followers and the people of Jerusalem held for Christ.
