For 2014, the Palm Sunday falls on 13 April. It is the sixth Sunday of lent season and the last Sunday before Easter. It is known by various other names such as Passion Sunday, Willow Sunday and Flower Sunday. Many people in Nashik are less aware and informed about the Palm Sunday, Page3 Nashik on the occasion of Palm Sunday gives a deatil information about why Palm Sunday is celebrated in Nashik and other places around world amongst the Christian community. Many churches in Nashik like, St.Andrews church, Infant Jesus Church, St.Patrick’s church, Holy Cross church, etc observed the Palm Sunday with the worship and procession.
What Does Palm Sunday Mean?
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event that is mentioned in all four canonical Gospels, according to the Bible. In many Christian churches, Palm Sunday includes a procession of the worshippers carrying palms, representing the palm branches that were laid out or scattered in front of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem. As the Lord rode into the town on a donkey, exuberant crowns hailed him as the Messiah and spread out palm branches and cloaks in his path, the Bible says. The difficulty of procuring palms in unfavorable climate led to their substitution with branches of native tress that included box, yew, willow, and olive – the fact that gave rise to alternative names to this day, such as Yew Sunday or Branch Sunday among others as aforementioned. 
Below are the top Seven Interesting Facts to Take Note about Palm Sunday:
- Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week, which is the week before Easter – an event that commemorates the last days of Jesus’ life.
- The hero’s welcome that Jesus received was during the Jewish Passover celebration. People, who had heard about his miracles, expected him to deliver them from the Roman Empire’s domination.
- Palm branches are traditional symbol of victory and that is the reason why they are used.
- Willow is commonly used instead of palm branches in some European countries. They are sometimes placed in the fields to ensure that there will be good yields.
- One of the most notable processions that place during the week is in Spain, particularly in Seville, during the Holy week and start of Palm Sunday. These processions are said to portray the passion of Jesus Christ – which refers to his suffering before his execution.
- In the United States, the term Pascua Florida, which in Spain means ‘Palm Sunday’ was later applied to mean the festive season of the entire Easter Week. It is said that the state of Florida received its name when Ponce de Leon first sighted the land and named it in 1513. It is thought that the time was most likely during or around Easter when this happened.
