In the Christian Orthodox calendar, there are many different church holidays. Palm Sunday is a special day when the fullness of the Orthodox Church triumphs and rejoices. This day is not assigned to a specific date, so the celebration of this event is rolling.
Palm Sunday is one of the twelve major holidays of the Orthodox Church. This is a popular name. More orthodox is the following name - the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem. The very name of the holiday reflects the whole essence of Christian triumph. Jesus Christ rides a donkey in Jerusalem in order to suffer and save all of humanity with his death.
Palm Sunday is celebrated a week before the bright celebration of Easter. The resurrection of Jesus is the central event of Christian faith and life. From this day, the beginning of the annual liturgical circle begins, which means that some church holidays are also counted from Easter. The entrance of the Lord to Jerusalem is one of those.
The New Testament scripture suggests that Christ entered Jerusalem on the last Sunday before his sufferings. That is why the Orthodox Church celebrates the week before Easter. This is a sign of following the Church to the essence and meaning of scripture. So, in 2014, Palm Sunday was celebrated on April 13, and next year 2015 will be celebrated on April 5 (Easter next year is even earlier).
The people spread the branches to the Savior marching to Jerusalem and shouted, giving glory to Christ. Few understood among the Jewish people that a few days later the Savior was crucified and cries of glory were replaced by screams asking for murder. However, Christ, knowing all this, himself enters the city in order to make a voluntary sacrifice for humanity.
