Christians to mark Palm Sunday

Mar 24, 2018

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent where Christians commemorate the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified

PIC: Vendors selling palm leaves near Christ the King ahead of Palm Sunday. (Credit: Kennedy Oryema)

FAITH | PALM SUNDAY

KAMPALA- The city streets have been filled with vendors of palm branches. They are using the opportunity to put Christians in the mood as they prepare to mark Palm Sunday.

With each branch costing sh500, the vendors have found it easier to vend their merchandise at motor traffic points and along Kampala's busiest streets.

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent where Christians commemorate the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.

For many Christian churches, Palm Sunday, often referred to as Passion Sunday, also marks the beginning of the Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday.

During the Holy Week, Christians usually take part in the holy triduum liturgy that begins with Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday before celebrating Easter Sunday.

Christians often receive palm leaves which they use to participate in the reenactment of Christ's arrival in Jerusalem.

In the gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage, a customary practice for people of great respect.

Whereas palm branches are a widely recognised symbol of peace and victory, hence their preferred use on Palm Sunday, the use of a donkey represents the humble arrival of someone in peace.

During Palm Sunday Mass, palms are distributed to parishioners who carry them in a ritual procession into church and because the palms are blessed, they may not be discarded as trash. Instead, they are appropriately gathered at the church and burnt to create the ashes that will be used in the follow year's Ash Wednesday observance.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});