Kerala: Archbishop Thomas Netto leads Palm Sunday prayers in Thiruvananthapuram

Palm Sunday is a significant feast day in Christianity. It marks the beginning of Holy Week and commemorates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is celebrated on the Sunday before Easter and is recognized by various Christian denominations. This year, Easter will be celebrated on April 20.

Visuals from Kerala showed multiple devotees taking part in the Palm Sunday procession taken out by St Joseph's Metropolitan Cathedral in the city. They carried palm fronds and crosses made from coconut palm leaves.

This occasion also marks the beginning of Passion Week or Holy Week for the community, marking the sixth and last week of Lent. This is an important time for Christians throughout the world. It is a time when Catholics gather to remember and participate in the Passion of Jesus Christ.

The name Holy Week was used in the 4th century by St Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, and St. Epiphanius of Constantia. Originally, only Good Friday and Holy Saturday were observed as holy days. Later, Wednesday was added as the day on which Judas plotted to betray Jesus, and by the beginning of the 3rd century, the other days of the week had been added.

Four special ceremonies commemorate the events of Christ's Passion from His entrance into Jerusalem, when palm branches were placed in His path, through His arrest on Holy Thursday and Crucifixion on Good Friday, to Holy Saturday, the day that Christ's body lay in the tomb.

After Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday marks the last supper; Good Friday marks the death of Christ on the cross; Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday come one after another.

Christians remember Jesus's sacrifice on Palm Sunday. Many celebrate with a special blessing and a procession of palm crosses. This is to remember the palm branches that the Bible says were spread in front of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.