The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Palm Sunday today.
The Sunday before Easter is celebrated as Palm Sunday, symbolizing Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
By the supreme direction of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, Palm Sunday was declared a day of blessing for children because when the Lord entered the Temple of Jerusalem, the children were shouting, saying: “Blessed be the son of David” (Matt. 21:15). On that day, the order of blessing the children is performed in the churches.
The people welcomed Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with enthusiasm, spreading their clothes along with olive and palm branches on the road and shouting: “Osanna! To the Highest, blessed be He Who comes in the name of the Lord, blessed be the kingdom of our father, David, who is coming. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest” (Mark 11:9-10).
According to the Fathers of the Church, spreading the clothes before Jesus symbolized the confession of sins to Christ. The offering of branches and twigs generally meant special honors and solemnity. The olive tree was perceived as a symbol of wisdom, peace, victory, and glory. The offering of olive and palm branches to Christ, who resurrected the dead Lazarus, symbolizes victory over death.
Palm Sunday also symbolizes the first day of creation, when God created the heavens and the earth, and the light spread and chased away the darkness.
This day also symbolizes the first period when the earth was decorated with plants and flowers, and Adam and Eve rejoiced in Paradise. And just as in the first period, Cain killed Abel out of jealousy, the Jews, contemplating evil, killed Christ and became the heirs of Cain’s curse.
On Palm Sunday, five days before the Jewish Passover, Christ voluntarily came to Jerusalem, the place of His sufferings, to show that He is the Lamb of God willing to be sacrificed for our salvation. According to the Law, the Jews brought the Passover lamb home five days before the Passover.
On the eve of Palm Sunday, on Saturday, a pre-holiday is held, the curtain of the tabernacle is opened, and the next day, the feast of St. The liturgy is celebrated with an open veil.
On the morning of Palm Sunday, olive or willow branches are blessed in churches and distributed to the people. The barren willow branches symbolize the Gentiles, who bore fruit only after being given to Christ. The softness of the bones symbolizes the humility of the followers of Christ. Willow branches are our offerings to the Lord, as St. Birthday gifts brought by the Magi from the East.
Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem as King, symbolically showing Himself as the King of Glory, Who removes the curse and gives life. Jesus came to evangelize the poor, heal the brokenhearted, set the captives free, and give sight to the blind, as prophesied by the prophet Isaiah.
