{"id":5283,"date":"2021-04-01T12:43:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T10:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flow.bg\/?p=5283"},"modified":"2021-09-11T00:08:05","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T22:08:05","slug":"%d1%86%d0%b2%d0%b5%d1%82%d0%bd%d0%b8%d1%86%d0%b0-%d0%be%d0%b1%d0%b8%d1%87%d0%b0%d0%b8-%d0%b8-%d1%82%d1%80%d0%b0%d0%b4%d0%b8%d1%86%d0%b8%d0%b8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flow.bg\/en\/%D1%86%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0-%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B0%D0%B8-%D0%B8-%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8\/","title":{"rendered":"Palm Sunday: customs and traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"
Palm Sunday is celebrated differently every year \u2013 one week before Easter, the Sunday after Lazarus Day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Today, everyone who bears names derived from the names of plants and trees is celebrating: Primrose, Peony, Violeta, Willow, Verban, Verbinka, Gergin(a), Grozdan(k)a, Dahlia, Dafina, Delia, Delyan(a), Dillian(s), Clover(s), Jasmine, Zdravka, Zdravko, Hyacinth(s), Willow, Primrose, Kalin(s), Camellia, Carnation(s), Kitka, Kamen, Latinka, Lily, Lila, Lilia, Liliana, Laura, Lyulina, Margarita, Magnolia, Raspberry, Marigold(s), Tsvetan(s), Ceno, Cvetelina, Ash, Sycamore, Petunia, Ralitsa<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The most popular custom in celebrating Palm Sunday is related to\u00a0the willow branches<\/strong>. Christ enters Jerusalem, riding a donkey, and the people greet him with palm branches, which they spread on the ground at his feet, and with joyful shouts of "Hosanna". On this day, a prayer is held in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and willow branches are consecrated, which replace the palm branches (hence the other name of Tsvetnitsa - Vrabnitsa). On the feast itself, after the solemn Liturgy, the priests distribute them to the faithful. The consecration takes place at a night vigil on Saturday evening. Christians take them into their homes for the health of the healthy and for the healing of the sick. It is believed that the consecrated willow protects from evil, and therefore it is placed on the home icon, and a willow wreath is hung on the front door, which will remain until the next year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In the Bulgarian tradition, there are different ones\u00a0willow branch rites<\/strong>, but they are all related to the belief in their healing power. In case of a difficult birth, the grandmothers pour water over the willow crown three times and give it to the woman in labor to drink, or they set fire to the willow branches and put her to death with them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n With the fresh willow wreaths, they decorate the horns of the livestock, and if an animal gets sick, they smoke it with the smoke from the dried wreaths. It was believed that if a child was blessed, their face should be washed with water in which a church willow had been dipped from\u00a0Flower Sunday<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cto break the lessons<\/em>". When a hail cloud sets in, they take the willow wreath outside or set it on fire to ward off the danger.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In many areas with a willow consecrated in the church, they wrap it around their waist so that it doesn't hurt, or when they have such pain they put a wreath of willow branches on their waist. These wreaths are also put in at night so that there are no worms in the flour.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n