Orthodox Palm Sunday April 28, 2024

⛪ Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, which is the final week of Lent, and is one of the twelve Great Feast Days of the Greek Orthodox Church. This is the Sunday before Jesus's arrest on Holy Thursday, his crucifixion on Good Friday, and Easter (Pascha / Πάσχα) which celebrates his resurrection.

Palm Sunday (also referred to as the Triumphal Entry) celebrates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem after raising Lazarus from the dead, which was also days before the start of the Jewish Passover. Crowds greeted him by waving palm branches and covering his path with them as he rode by on a donkey. Palms folded into crosses are often blessed by priests and given out at church to commemorate this feast day.

Fasting for Palm Sunday includes consuming fish, olive oil, and wine and avoiding dairy products, eggs, chicken, and red meat.

Image: The icon depicts Jesus riding a donkey, surrounded by the people of Jerusalem.