Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday. This is the start of Holy Week. For Christians, the week preceding Easter is known as Holy Week. It begins on Palm Sunday (Today) and is traditionally a week of somber reflection on the events preceding Jesus’ death: his triumphant entry into Jerusalem; his betrayal by Judas; his Last Supper with his twelve apostles; his arrest, crucifixion and death; and his burial in a tomb. What Is Palm Sunday? On Palm Sunday, Christians celebrate Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem, which occurred several days before his death. According to the gospels, the people of Jerusalem spread branches from trees—identified specifically as palm branches in John's gospel—on the road to welcome Jesus as he rode a donkey into the city. Because of this, many Christian churches today offer congregants palm fronds as they enter the church on Palm Sunday. In some denominations, the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and of his death is read in church on Palm Sunday, juxtaposing the welcome Jesus received on one day with his betrayal and arrest a few days later.