Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent leading up to Easter. It recalls the day Jesus entered Jerusalem, where crowds welcomed him by laying branches on the road and praising him as he arrived.
According to the Gospels, Jesus entered the city riding on a donkey. The event was a joyful welcome, but it also marked the beginning of the final days of his life. During Holy Week, Christians remember the events that led to Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion and death, before celebrating his resurrection at Easter.
The name Palm Sunday comes from the palm branches that people waved or laid on the road as Jesus entered Jerusalem. In many Christian traditions, palm branches are brought into churches or carried in processions to remember the event.
In Finland and other northern countries, pussy willow branches are often used instead of palms. In Finland, these branches are also part of the springtime tradition of virpominen, when children decorate willow twigs and visit neighbours to offer blessings and wish them good health and good fortune.
Although these customs vary, the branches remain a reminder of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem and the beginning of the events at the heart of the Christian faith.
Palm Sunday leads into Holy Week, when churches remember the final events of Jesus’ life. Services, music and Bible readings follow the story towards Maundy Thursday and the Last Supper, Good Friday and the crucifixion, and finally Easter Sunday and the celebration of the resurrection.
For Christians, Palm Sunday holds both joy and sorrow. The crowds welcome Jesus, yet the week ahead leads to suffering and death. The story also points towards the hope of Easter.