Palm Sunday

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Palm Sunday (sometimes referred to as Passion Sunday) takes place on the Sunday before Easter. The first Palm Sunday took place in the early 30's A.D.. Jesus of Nazareth, a Galilean preacher, (known to Christians as Jesus Christ) entered Jerusalem to attend Passover celebrations in a triumphal procession. Ordinary people cheered and hailed him as the expected Messiah, waving branches of palm in salute and throwing their cloaks and other garments on the road in front of him.

Since then, Palm Sunday has become a large celebration and a Holy Day of Obligation on many Christian calendars. Traditionally, Palm Sunday gave the faithful a break from the rigours of Lent, though today the chances of people suffering from overly-zealous devotions are somewhat less than alarming.

Modern observances of Palm Sunday involve a church service in which special hymns are sung, and the gospel passages describing events leading up to Jesus' execution (The Passion) are read, enacted or sung. Palm Sunday services range in style from a relatively simple service to the strictly prescribed liturgy or special masses of churches with a catholic tradition.