April 28 is Palm Sunday according to the Orthodox Christian calendar and Greeks across the country flocked to their churches to attend beautiful and moving church services.
Thousands of devoted Christians across the nation went to commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.
This unique feast for the Christian faith is always one of the most joyous of the year and marks the beginning of the Orthodox Holy Week that leads up to Easter Sunday, a week later.
From small chapels and churches to impressive Cathedrals and from the mainland to the islands, the faithful gathered holding beautiful crosses that had been woven from palm fronds.
A key moment of the Orthodox Palm Sunday service in every church is the Blessing and Distribution of the Palms, with a special prayer that is always read over the basket of crosses placed before the icon of Christ.
A series of beautiful age-old traditions and customs surround Palm Sunday in Greece, with every place having its own little piece to place in the puzzle of customs for that day. Although it falls during the solemn period of Lent, the Greek Orthodox Church in particular allows the consumption of fish, oil, and wine on this important day. However, the faithful need to continue abstaining from products such as dairy, eggs, chicken, and red meat.
Many families gather for a traditional seafood meal, often the classic dish of fried cod with garlic mash called ”bakaliaros skordalia”.
In some other regions, people use the blessed palm crosses that they receive from their church to decorate their homes as well as boats, and even their animals and pets to ensure blessings and protection. Children may also weave the palms into different shapes like crosses, fish, or wreaths depending on the local tradition.
Another beautiful example of a Palm Sunday tradition comes from the Ionian island of Corfu, where a large procession with a marching band carries the relics of the island’s patron Saint Spyridon. The Corfiots do that to commemorate the deliverance from a past plague that, according to legend, happened after the intervention of the island’s patron saint.
This uniquely joyous atmosphere in churches is also palpable as beautiful hymns that glorify Christ – such as the “Vanquisher of Death” – are resounded in the temples.
The Story Behind Palm Sunday
According to the Bible, the entry of Jesus into the ancient holy city of Jerusalem took place just a few days before he was betrayed at the Last Supper, and is deemed to have marked the beginning of Christ’s Passion, or the events leading up to his suffering and eventual death on the cross.
Although the circumstances leading up to Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem differ somewhat in each of the Gospels, all describe the entrance of Jesus into the city as a joyous event, as citizens gathered around him and proclaimed him to be the Lord.
