Palm Sunday is a Christian festival that falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. It marks the beginning of Holy Week, which commemorates the events leading up to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Palm Sunday specifically commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, as described in the Gospels.
According to the biblical accounts, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while crowds of people welcomed him, laying palm branches on the road and shouting “Hosanna!” This event is significant in Christian theology as it fulfills prophecy and symbolizes Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.
In many Christian traditions, Palm Sunday is celebrated with special worship services where palm branches are distributed to the congregation, symbolizing the branches that the crowd in Jerusalem laid down in front of Jesus. These branches are often blessed by clergy during the service. The day may also include processions, hymns, and readings from the Bible recounting Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem.