Celebration of Palm Sunday

The religious holding pussy-willow branches on Palm Sunday holiday at the territory of St. Nicolas Church in Zaporizhzhya, on Sunday, April 12, 2009. All orthodox Christians celebrate Palm Sunday this day. The holiday springs from old times, when Jesus entered to Jerusalem on young she-donkey and all the city came to meet him. People covered the way of Jesus with palm branches and greeted him with exclamations: “ Osanna!” – an address only to a tsar. The reason of a rejoicing became a miracle, which Jesus accomplished on the eve of this event, having revived Lazar. The green branches are sign of a victory over a death and Resurrection of Christ. After consecrating a pussy willow, the religious swallow pussy-willow buds in order to preserve themselves from diseases. All orthodox world will celebrate Easter holiday on April, 19. Photo by Anatoly Mudryk/UNIAN