Palm Sunday procession

[ron_newman]

This item on the Somerville Journal page says there will be a Palm Sunday procession from Powderhouse Circle to Davis Square this Sunday, starting at 9 am. Not being a United Methodist or any other kind of Christian, I know nothing whatsoever about this tradition, but it might be fun to watch.

(If any of you have ever participated in this or watched it, please chime in)

Comments

[stagnicity.livejournal.com]

Processions for Palm Sunday are a fairly common occurence in the Christian church. In the religion, the holiday itself is the yearly anniversary of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem after a 40-day period of fasting and temptation in the desert (which is what the pre-Easter season of Lent symbolizes). The procession was made on the back of a donkey and the people of Jerusalem covered him as he rode with palm fronds. It was common custom to in one way or another cover the walkway of an important persons, and the fact that a man riding a donkey was accorded this gesture is one of many seemingly contradictory events in the life of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels.

Also, in the Old Testament book of Zechariah, it says that the Jewish messiah would enter Jerusalem on a donkey, so the event was also seen as a proper fulfillment of prophecy. Also, he would in a few days time be crucified and, according to the New Testament, rise from the dead... and that being the central literal or metaphorical act (depending on your position) which gives meaning or force to Christianity, I think these processions are done as a celebration of the passing of the Lent and a prefigurement of the welcome any person would receive in heaven, regardless of their station in life. They're usually very joyous processions too, a contrast to season of Lent leading up to it, which is, at least in Catholic and Anglican traditions, a very somber one of fasting and reflection.


Hopefully this explains the donkey. And if I'm wrong about any of that, sorry folks. It's definitely a Catholic/Anglican view of te whole thing I'm writing from. Anybody familiar with other/more Protestant or Baptist views on the holiday?

[ifotismeni]

more or less this is the orthodox view as well. the events are the same in the bible, it's the ritual surrounding it in modern practice that differ. i think most branches of christianity do some sort of palm-y thing on palm sunday though, either palm fronds or palm crosses... something along those lines.

[bex77]

This rolling bit of improv theater is a joint project of three churches on College Ave - the Methodists, the Baptists and the Congregational (UCC) Church. It's been going on for years on what is called "Palm Sunday." It is the start of Holy Week, that runs through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and then Easter.

It re-enacts Jesus' entry into Jerusalem riding on the donkey, to celebrate Passover in the big city, before he gets betrayed and killed and rises again on Easter.

If anyone wants someplace to worship after that, First Church starts at 10 am, with a special gospel cantata and homemade hot cross buns for a coffee hour after the service.

[ron_newman]

Thanks! Do you know if local Catholic parishes do anything similar?