On April 13, the Orthodox world celebrates Palm Sunday.

On April 13, the Orthodox world celebrates one of the brightest, kindest, and most beautiful holidays – Palm Sunday. It also has an official name – The Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem.

After Christ raised Lazarus from Bethany, rumors about Him spread to many cities. He entered Jerusalem on a donkey accompanied by the apostles. The evangelists emphasize that no one had ever sat on this donkey before, which indicates the ritual purity of the animal and its suitability for sacrifice to God. Christ is greeted with joy, waving palm branches, while the Lord mourned. He knew how fickle the opinions of these people were and that soon they would cry out instead of "Hosanna!": "Crucify, crucify Him!

In the liturgy of the holiday, there are two characteristic features. People stand at the service with branches and lit candles. The burning candle signifies the joy that a believer feels, knowing that in Christ he always has support and comfort, hope and trust in life and after death.

The branches of the willow remind us of the tree of the cross, and thus, of the Cross and the sufferings of the Savior for us. The reddish color of the willow speaks of the blood of Christ, shed for us on the Cross. The fact that the branch is not dry, but reviving and blossoming, suggests thoughts of the Resurrection of Christ and the future universal resurrection of the dead.

N. SINYAKOV.
Photo by Sergey SLEPTSOV.