Palm Sunday symbolises the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where he triumphantly rode on a donkey a week before his resurrection. The event is recounted in each of the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
According to the Holy Bible, as he entered the city of Jerusalem, people laid down their cloaks, palm leaves and small tree branches on the ground before him, singing “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.”
Children often carry lit candles they have decorated. Small crosses are made of palm and handed out to everyone who attends the service.
For many Christians, palm branches symbolises goodness and victory.
The Pope in his tweet on Sunday said: “God triumphs, but the palm of victory passes through the wood of the cross. For the palm and the cross are inseparable.”
“We are called to recognize that other living beings have a value of their own in God’s eyes: by their mere existence they bless him and give him glory, and indeed, the Lord rejoices in all his works.”