Holy Week is a special time for Christians all over the globe. Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, marks the start of Holy Week. It is a time when Catholics gather to remember and share in Jesus Christ’s Passion. The Passion was Christ’s final time in Jerusalem. It spans the time between his arrival in Jerusalem and his crucifixion.
St. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, and St. Epiphanius of Constantia coined the term Holy Week in the fourth century. Only Good Friday and Holy Saturday were originally honored as holy days. Later, Wednesday was added as the day on which Judas planned to betray Jesus, and the other days of the week had been added by the beginning of the third century. How Do Catholics mark Holy Week?
Four special rituals honor the events of Christ’s Passion, beginning with his entry into Jerusalem, when palm branches were put in his path, and continuing through his arrest on Holy Thursday, Crucifixion on Good Friday, and burial on Holy Saturday.
Palm Sunday is the day on which Christians remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey to celebrate Passover. Many people waited for him to come in the Bible, and they spread their cloaks in his path. Palm Sunday is commonly observed in Christian churches with a blessing and procession of palm fronds.