There are special holidays in the Orthodox Church, celebrations in honor of which are reflected in the culture of the Russian people. One of these is Palm Sunday.
Some Orthodox holidays, in addition to the statutory name, also have folk names. Palm Sunday is one such example. The Orthodox Church calls this great twelveth celebration the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem. The name itself speaks of the essence of the remembered event. On this day, the Church celebrates in honor of the procession of the Lord Jesus Christ to the main city of ancient Israel - Jerusalem. The Lord, in great humility and meekness, marched into free suffering for the salvation of mankind. The Jewish people, having seen the many miracles of Christ, greeted the Savior with joyful exclamations and laid branches of palm trees for the Lord in the likeness of the meeting of kings.
In Russia, there are rare places where palm trees grow in abundance. In our state, it has become a tradition to consecrate willow branches instead of palms. Therefore, the holiday was named Palm Sunday. As can be seen from the popular naming of the celebration, this day falls annually on the last day of the week (Sunday). However, the date of the holiday itself is not fixed under a certain number, which makes it possible to speak of this day as a rolling celebrated event.
The dating of Palm Sunday directly depends on the Easter of Christ. As can be seen from the gospel narrative, the Savior entered Jerusalem a week before the glorious Sunday. Therefore, every year Palm Sunday is celebrated on the last Sunday before the Bright Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Knowing the date of the Orthodox Easter of the Lord in 2016, you can easily calculate the day of Palm Sunday. Orthodox Easter in 2016 falls on the 1st of May (new style), therefore Palm Sunday in 2016 falls on the 24th of April.
So, the holiday of Palm Sunday in 2016 will be celebrated in Russia on April 24th. It is on this day that solemn services will be held in all Orthodox churches. It is worth noting that the consecration of the willow, according to tradition, takes place on Saturday evening on the eve of an all-night vigil.
On Palm Sunday, relaxation in fasting is blessed. Believers are allowed to eat fish.
