Thursday, April 2, 2009

How to Observe Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is the sixth and final Sunday of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, the most solemn period in the Christian church.

Step1
Go to church. Even if you're not religious in a formal way, the Palm Sunday service ' particularly the Catholic Mass ' is worth seeing.
Step2
Listen as the celebrant of the Mass says five prayers asking God to bless the palm branches; he then sprinkles them with holy water, infuses them with incense and, after another prayer, distributes them to the congregation as the choir sings "Pueri Hebraeorum." Clergy and congregation form a procession and, carrying the blessed palms, march out of the church.
Step3
While everyone else waits outside, two or four chanters enter the church and sing the hymn "Gloria, laus," which those outside repeat.
Step4
At the end of the hymn, the subdeacon knocks at the church door with the staff of the cross, the door is opened and everyone enters singing "Ingrediente Domino."
Step5
Stay for the subsequent Mass, the highlight being the singing of the Passion according to St. Matthew, during which everyone holds their palm branches.
Step6
Keep in mind that, traditionally, the faithful took their blessed palms home and used them as protective charms in the house, barn or fields.

source : http://www.ehow.com/how_12836_observe-palm-sunday.html

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