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PALM SUNDAY, PALM-TREE DECORATION DAY: is one of the main feasts of Armenian Apostolic Church. It took place a week before the Easter; on Sunday of the Holy Week. It is devoted to the celebration of the last few episodes of Jesus Christ’s earthly life: the Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Matthews 21.1–11, Marcus 11.1–11, Lucas 19.28–40, Johannes 12.12–19), the purification of the temple from the pigeon sellers (Matthews 21.12–13, Marcus 11.15–19, Lucas 19.45–48), the remembrance of Lazarus’ resurrection.

People greeted Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem with enthusiasm, by laying olive and palm branches, as well as their garments on the road, and by shouting: “Hosanna to the Lord, blessed be who, that cometh in the name of the Lord, blessed be our father David’s kingdom that is coming. Peace in the heaven and glory in the heights” (Marcus 11.9-10). According to the holy fathers of the church, the garments that are thrown before Jesus; symbolizes the release of the hidden sins to be purified by the Lord. Consecrating boughs and branches symbolizes to honorary and solemnity. The mention of the use of olive branches in the religious feasts is various in the bible. Jews has celebrated the Festival of Booths with evergreen branches (Leviticus 23:40). In ancient times, the olive tree was considered to be a symbol of wisdom, peace, victory and glory. In the Olympic Games, ancient Greeks used to honor the victorious athletes with crowns made up of olive and laurel branches. According to the church fathers, olive and palm branches that were consecrated to Jesus, he who arisen Lazarus from death, symbolizes the victory over death.

On Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday, the pre-Palm-Sunday celebration takes place with the opening of the curtains of the tabernacle, while on the next day, the Divine Liturgy serves after the rituals. On the Palm Sunday morning, the church blesses the branches of olive tree in case there is any, otherwise blesses willow boughs and divides it to the people. In the past, it was a custom to place a tree decorated with candles and fruit in the church on Palm Sunday. Today, however, the church is being decorated with palm, olive or willow branches. Palm Sunday is also called Palm-tree Decoration Day by the people, along with these names, in addition to the folk rituals, celebrations, customs and games that took place on Palm Sunday; are not originally related to the narrative context and the Christian holiday of the Gospel. Palm Sunday is the remnant of one of the Armenian pagan celebrations of the spring. Symbolizing the coming of spring, the awakening of nature, the awakening of Addis, Ara alongside with other pagan deities of nature; it is related to the spring season and tree worshiping. The Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is also took place in the beginning of the spring, while the biblical mention of using olive and palm branches is coincided with the folkloric celebration of tree decoration and nature blossom. By time and joint conditions, Palm Sunday was united with the Christian holiday of Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem, and transmitted to the church and entered the calendar as the Palm Sunday.

Second Palm Sunday is called the first Sunday after the Ascension Day, which is the seventh Sunday after the Easter as well. It has a-thirty-five day of mobilization possibility (from 3rd of May until 6th of July).

If the genuine Palm Sunday symbolizes Jesus’ solemn Entry into Jerusalem, then the second Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ Entrance to Upper Jerusalem (heaven) accompanied by the angles. This holiday set by the Catholicos Gregory II Vkayaser is associated with a national tradition, according to which, when Gregory the Illuminator was in the Deep Pit (Khor Virap), an angel has visited him every day, on the fourth day of the Ascension the angel hasn’t visited. The next day, when Gregory the Illuminator had asked the angel the reason of the absence, the response was that the nine classes of the angels are consecutively were celebrating the Ascension of the Christ, the angel was from the forth class and didn’t want to leave the joys of the celebration on that day.

On the Second Palm Sunday, the psalms and hymns of the original Palm Sunday rituals are repeated identically.

Music: The hymnal follows some musical rules that are special for the Palm Sunday, The main Palm Sunday rule that is attributed to Sahak I Partev, stayed apocryphal back in 12th – 13th centuries, as well as the old and new rules of the Second Palm Sunday. The Old Rule songs (12th century, apocryphal) are attributed to Sahak I Partev too, whereas the originator of the New Rule songs is Catholicos Gregory III Pahlavuni.

The psalms devoted to the Palm Sunday are distinguished by its joyful and jubilant nature that expresses Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem.

Iconography: Jesus’ triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was reflected in the Christian art back from the 4th – 5th centuries AD. In the Armenian art the oldest known example of this motif is preserved on the ivory cover of the “Ejmiatsin Gospel” that dates to the 6th century.

The structure of the image composition is as follows: in the center, there is the depiction of Christ seated on a donkey, followed by his disciples. On the sides, there is the depiction of the inhabitants of Jerusalem whom are laying either their garments (which symbolizes to their sins) or tree branches on the road of the Lord.

The scene of “Entry into Jerusalem”, by preserving its basic thematic structure, is represented due to some variants of iconography (based on the different depictions of the Gospels). According to the Gospel of Matthews (Matthews 21.2–5), Christ is depicted sitting on a donkey, and a colt is coming from the side. Whilst in the other three Gospels the colt is not mentioned, hence its illustration is also missing.

Jesus is depicted in two main positions: sitting or riding on a donkey, he is either ahead or three-quarter from the front. The donkey is represented either in a downcast head or in a high-held one.

According to Matthews and Marcus, in order to cut olive and palm boughs; some of the residents of the city were climbing trees. However, according to Lucas;     Zacchaeus the Short is the one who climbs the tree, to see Christ in Jericho. In some miniatures Zacchaeus is portrayed in the scene of “Entry into Jerusalem”. While in some Cilician miniatures; the story of bringing the colt by the disciples, is attached to the composition.

In certain art works, the dominical scenery of “Entry into Jerusalem”; is depicted as a cheerful folk festival, as entirely the same as the Armenian Church’s Palm Sunday celebration. In this regard, the models of Vaspurakan miniature school are especially noteworthy, many of which directly bears; Palm Sunday, Palm-tree Decoration Day or the Palmary Day captions.

Source: Encyclopedia of «Christian Armenia», editor in chief Hovhannes Ayvazyan, Yerevan, 2002, page 450-451. (in Armenian).