Universal Ramblings

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feastival which always falls on the Sunday before the Easter Sunday. The banquet commemorates Jesus Christ’s’ prideful entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned by all four Canonical Gospels (Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19).

Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves in many Christian churches to the worshipers gathered in that church. The difficulty of attaining palms for that day’s ceremonies in unfavourable climates for palms led to the permutation of boughs of yew, box, willow or other native trees. The Sunday was frequently entitled by the names of these trees, as the general term Branch Sunday.

According to the Gospel’s Jesus Christ rode a donkey into Jerusalem, and the people’s celebrating there layed down their cloaks in front of him, and also lay down small branches of trees. They sang part of Psalms 118: 25-26 – … Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord ….

In Eastern tradition the symbolism of the donkey may refer to an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is referred to as the animal of war. Therefore, a king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when he wanted to point out that he was coming in peace. hence Jesus christ’s entry to Jerusalem symbolized his entry as the Prince of Peace.

In the South Indian state of Kerala, flowers are strewn about into the asylum on Palm Sunday during the reading of the Gospel at the words expressed by the crowd welcoming Jesus Christ, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who is come and is to come in the name of the Lord God.” These words are read to the fold thrice. The congregation then repeats, “Hosanna!” and the flowers are garbled.