Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday with the good people of St Mary's, Great Baddow. Full church, mixed ages, great music and a wonderful festival celebration.

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. Great crowds of people lined the streets waving palm branches to welcome him. In their excitement they spread branches on the road, and even laid down their clothes, shouting 'Hosanna!'

There are many Palm Sunday traditions. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Palm Sunday was marked by the burning of Jack-'o'-Lent figures, a straw effigy which would be stoned and abused. Its burning on Palm Sunday was a kind of revenge on Judas Iscariot. Today, Palm Sunday often involves leaves, flowers and processions and in some churches, pax cakes, a symbol of peace and goodwill, are given to the congregation as they leave after the service.