Christians celebrate Palm Sunday, or Palm Sunday, which marks the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where he was greeted by believers holding olive and palm branches. The Flower Festival is one of the most important of the year and opens the Easter holidays. Patriarch Daniel will participate in the Holy Liturgy in the historical chapel “Saint George the Great Martyr” in the Patriarchal Residence.
READ ALSO Almost 1.8 million Romanians celebrate their name day on Florii
“On Palm Sunday, people are allowed to eat fish. They go to church carrying flowers and return carrying willow sprigs. They touch the children, the cattle of the household with the willow and put it on the icon: in a year it gets all kinds of uses. Even now, the weeds that will be used to dye the eggs are being boiled. As the weather is at Florii, so it will be at Easter. There are places where on this day people do not wash their heads, for fear of turning white (red) like trees in bloom. In other parts, they wash their heads on this very day, but with water in which they boiled basil and threads from the hems of a flag that was carried to a funeral of a big girl. In order to benefit the hair, to make it shine with health, water must be poured at the root of a hair”, writes Irina Nicolau in the “Guide to Romanian Holidays” (Humanitas, 1998).
A week before his passion, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on a donkey, surrounded by the 12 apostles. The crowd, recognizing him as the true Savior, greeted him with palm branches and songs of joy. Jesus himself prepared his entrance to be recognized as the Messiah, and when they saw him, the people began to shout: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”.
The flowers open the cycle of Easter holidays, which ends with the Ascension of the Lord.
On Palm Sunday, there is a custom for people to go to Church with budded willow branches in their hands, to be consecrated by the priest, a custom that recalls the triumphal entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, when he was greeted by the crowd with olive branches, palm branches or flowers.
The willow twigs will be distributed to the believers who participated in the Flower service, who will take them home and put them on icons, windows, doors and gates, to protect their homes from evil and troubles.
The Feast of Flowers also means the second “fish release”, after the one at the Annunciation, for those who fast.
Flower Day also represents the beginning of the last week of Easter Lent or Passion Week.
From Sunday evening, the churches begin the special services of Holy Week, called denii. In these services can be found all the remarkable moments of the Savior’s life, from his entry into Jerusalem until his Resurrection from the dead.
Traditions and customs of Florii
In some areas of the country, people from villages burn themselves with willow branches, because it is said that this ritual protects them from diseases and makes them stronger.
On Florii, people go to the graves of their relatives to hang willow branches on their crosses, so they will know that Easter is coming.
Also on the Day of Flowers, there is a tradition that the string from the martisor is hung in a budding or blooming tree, in order to have health and abundance in the coming year.
There is also a custom in some areas of the country for single girls to put basil under their pillow in order to become more beautiful and more desirable to boys, so that they can get married that year.
In other areas, by Florii the dowry is taken out of the house, to be aired.
Another custom found in some areas is for parents to hit their children with a willow stick when they come home from church, so that they grow up healthy and wise.
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