Palm Sunday

Preparation of the church before the servicePalm Sunday, which is literally translated from Italian as Palm Sunday (Domenica delle palme) is a religious holiday that has no fixed date and is celebrated on the Sunday preceding Easter. And from this Sunday begins Holy Week, which pays tribute to the last days of Christ on earth.

On Palm Sunday, the Church celebrates the entrance to Jerusalem of Jesus Christ, whom the people welcomed with palm branches. Hence the name of the holiday. Although, parishioners use olive tree branches for the service, as they are more affordable. But the church is decorated with palm branches.

On this day, the liturgy begins outside the church, where the faithful gather, and the minister of the church blesses the branches of palm trees and olives brought by the gathered. After that, the procession goes inside the church where the service is held. After the service, believers bring home blessed branches of olives and palm trees, exchange them with relatives and friends, store them as a symbol of peace. And in some areas, the head of the family with the help of these twigs, having previously dipped them in holy water, blesses the table and food on Easter day. Subsequently, the twigs are burned and the ashes are used on the Wednesday of the first Lenten Week (Martedi delle Cenere) the following year.

Since 1985, on Palm Sunday, Catholics have also celebrated International Youth Day, culminating in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square in the presence of the Pope.