Palm Sunday: customs and traditions

Palm Sunday: customs and traditions

Palm Sunday is celebrated differently every year – one week before Easter, the Sunday after Lazarus Day.

Flower names

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

Tsvetnitsa Customs and traditions

The most popular custom in celebrating Palm Sunday is related to the willow branches. 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.

In the Bulgarian tradition, there are different ones willow branch rites, 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.

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 Flower Sunday – “to break the lessons". When a hail cloud sets in, they take the willow wreath outside or set it on fire to ward off the danger.

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.

A meal

Since Palm Sunday is the first day after Lent, the day permits eating fish. The table should also include a salad of seasonal vegetables, potatoes, rice, beans or stuffed peppers, but lean.

Palm Sunday 2021 – April 25, 2021

Palm Sunday 2022 – 17 April 2022

Palm Sunday 2023 – April 9, 2023

Palm Sunday 2024 – 28 April 2024

Palm Sunday 2025 – 13 April 2025

Palm Sunday 2026 – April 5, 2026