Growing up Roman Catholic, I have very fond recollection of Palm Sunday which falls on the Sunday before Easter.
 |
| photo credit: en. wikipedia.org |
Where I grew up in Manila, palm leaves were aplenty. Vendors situated themselves outside the church with palms in various arrangements. In the Manila I knew, there was always a means to make a living outside churches, be it selling ice cream, bibingka (native cake) or commemorative items like palm leaves. Somehow I miss that interesting, unbridled activity outside the church now that I live in America.
In the church I go to now, palm leaves are distributed for the faithful unlike in that country where I grew up where worshippers had to spend money for the palms they carry to the church ceremony. At the appropriate moment at Mass (commemorating Jesus's entry into Jerusalem amidst the crowds waving palm branches), we would all wave our palms as the priest went down the aisle giving his blessing. In Manila we would take the blessed palms home and put them on our altar. Because Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, it's a special occasion for rejoicing!
In many churches, the palms used on this day are stored and burned the following year to be used during the Ash Wednesday rituals.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Jesus's end... His agony and crucifixion... therefore the commencement of the Holy Week. His journey to the Cross takes place in one week and believers don't find a reason to doubt it.
