On this Palm Sunday, we were celebrating Christ’s entry into 
Jerusalem. The church and grounds were all beautified by springtime and by the artistry of parishioners who arranged flowers and palm branches.
This year we even had some giant green fronds to soften the harsh lines of scaffolding that can’t be taken down for another couple of months. Last night those were being unloaded from a truck when I was leaving Matins.
By the courtyard poppies and wisteria are blooming.
After liturgy this morning we waved our much smaller palm fronds in the air as we processed around the church singing, “Like the children with the palms of victory, we cry out to Thee, O Vanquisher of Death: Hosannah in the Highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the LORD!”
It looks like a beautiful service and the courtyard is so gorgeous! I just ordered “The Philokalia” for my Kindle. I find the history of orthodoxy and the saints so fascinating. I’ve been reading your posts on Eastern Orthodoxy and am enjoying them a lot. You would probably have to travel 250 miles or so to find an Orthodox church in my neck of the woods, but I’m still having fun learning! š (Please excuse me if some of my terminology is wrong. I’m still pretty ignorant on the subject!)
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Lovely courtyard gates through which to enter in with joy!
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So, we must have Easter on the same day this year. Nice.
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Yes, we do…I ā„ it, too. Next year, we celebrate on April 12th (a week after Western Easter).
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I wrote a sonnet about this a couple of years ago.
http://thethreeprayers.blogspot.com/2012/04/first-full-moon-after-vernal-equinox.html
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It looks like you had a nice Palm Sunday! I ā„ that picture of the truck with the huge palms on top!!! We have to order palm branches. And also since our parish is Russian, we also use pussywillows.
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Lovely and I love the palm branches. I love how all of the holidays have lined up this year.
Have a lovely week.
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Beautiful! I can’t believe it is Holy Week already! Blessings!
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How beautiful! And those are some of the BIGGEST palms I’ve ever seen. wow.
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