Palm Sunday 2024 and a reference to biblical events
Palm Sunday 2024 – just like in previous years – will be celebrated in churches with great solemnity. The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is commemorated. The inhabitants of the city welcomed Christ with palm branches, which is where today’s name of the holiday comes from.
Palm Sunday is also called the Sunday of the Passion of the Lord. This is the day that begins the celebration of Holy Week. During the church liturgy, a fragment of the Bible is read about the solemn entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The description of the Passion of the Lord is also read, often divided into roles. The faithful bring symbolic palms with them to Mass, which are blessed during the liturgy. Many temples hold processions – the faithful participate in them with Easter palms in their hands.
In the past, Palm Sunday celebrations were slightly different. One of the customs was for the priest celebrating mass to knock three times on the closed church door. Only after opening the door did the priest and the faithful enter the temple and celebrate mass. Today, these customs are no longer practiced, but this does not change the fact that Palm Sunday is one of the most important church holidays. On Palm Sunday, solemn preparations begin for the most important Sunday in the Church, i.e. Resurrection Sunday.
When is Palm Sunday 2024? What does the date depend on?
Palm Sunday is movable, which means it may fall on a different day each calendar year. The date of Palm Sunday depends on the date of Easter Sunday. The date of Easter Sunday was linked to the phases of the moon as early as the 4th century AD. At the Council of Nicaea it was established that Easter Sunday would fall on the first Sunday after the spring full moon.
Accordingly, Easter falls between March 22 and April 25, while Palm Sunday can be celebrated on March 15 at the earliest and April 18 at the latest. In 2024 it falls on March 31, so Palm Sunday will be celebrated on March 24.
How to make an Easter palm tree? Symbolism and meaning of the Easter palm in folk tradition
Easter palms are easily available – they can be bought in many shops and stalls, and very often palms are also sold in . The appearance of today’s palms refers to the Easter palms prepared in the past, but the symbolic value has decreased slightly. Palm Sunday was once also called Willow Sunday. Willow branches were mainly used to prepare the Easter palm for Palm Sunday, decorated with boxwood, dried flowers and conifers. It was forbidden to use poplar branches because it is assumed that this was the tree where Judas hanged himself. Another legend explains that the poplar was the only tree that did not cry out of grief after the crucifixion of Christ.
In the past, the Easter palm was perceived as an attribute that was supposed to provide protection and ensure family well-being. Immediately after returning home from Sunday mass, household members would hit each other with a blessed palm. The hosts also “flogged” their animals with the Easter palm. Such a ritual was supposed to stimulate vital forces. It was also believed that Easter palm catkins had health properties. Households ate catkins, believing that it would protect them against throat and dental diseases. The Easter palm also served to protect homes and farm buildings. During a storm, it was placed in the window and treated as an amulet protecting against lightning strikes. It was also believed that the Easter palm would ensure good crops.
On Easter Monday, farmers sprinkled their fields with holy water and stuck a small cross made of branches from the Easter palm. The Easter palm accompanied the household all year round. It was kept behind the consecrated image, and the day before the next Palm Sunday it was burned to make way for a new one.
Source: Gazeta
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