Palm week in 2023 by day

Palm Sunday is one of the main Christian holidays. It is one of the twelve – the twelve most important holidays after Easter.

Another name for Palm Sunday is the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. It is clear what event it is dedicated to. Description of the solemn entry into Jerusalem of Jesus Christ is in all four Gospels.

The holiday gave its name to the entire week preceding it: Palm Week. It is also called Color Week, Flower Bearing or Willowlash. 

What date does Palm Week begin and end in 2023?

Every year Palm Week falls on different dates, it depends on the day Easter is celebrated. Palm Week 2023 starts on April 3rd and ends on April 9th. Then comes Holy Week. And on April 16, the Orthodox will celebrate Easter.

Days of Palm Week

For believers, Palm Week is especially remarkable for the last two days – Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday. They refer us to the events that changed the attitude of people towards Jesus Christ and helped to believe in his divine origin.

The other days of this week do not have a specific name. Sometimes you can hear, for example, Palm Monday or Palm Wednesday, but these are common folk concepts.

Only Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday have fixed names.

Churched people during Palm Week try to go to church more often and be sure to fast. On each day, the memory of one of the Great Martyrs is venerated, and forecasts are made for the future harvest.

Monday

On the first day of Palm Week, there is a tradition for the mother-in-law to come to the house of the young son-in-law with gifts and best wishes. It is important not to hold a grudge against the young, to speak sincerely and to bestow from the heart.

In 2023, Palm Monday falls on April 3 – the Day of Remembrance of the Hieromartyrs Mark, Bishop of Arethusia, Cyril, deacon, and others. On this day, they remember the martyrs who were tortured in the name of faith in the XNUMXth century under Emperor Julian the Apostate. Their steadfastness led many pagans to convert to Christianity.

Tuesday

Tuesday is the Day of Remembrance of St. John of the Ladder. The Monk John of the Ladder was born in the 30th century, lived a long life and wrote the work “The Ladder, or the Spiritual Tablets” – a guide to spiritual life for Christians. The book contains XNUMX degrees (chapters) of man’s ascent to spiritual perfection.

On this day, it is customary to cook special lean cookies in the form of stairs. The number of crossbars can be different, but it must be symbolic. On the Day of Remembrance of St. John of the Ladder, 30 crossbars are most often made, which personify 30 steps on the way to Jesus Christ. Edible ladders are consecrated in the temple and distributed to the poor.

Our ancestors put baked ladders in the field so that the rye was higher. Fortune-telling on ladders was widespread – cookies were thrown from the bell tower. The more it broke, the more sins a person had.

And in the old days they believed that on this day “the brownie is furious until midnight.” Therefore, it was not recommended to go out into the yard, for protection from evil spirits they beat the walls of the hut with a broom or stuck a pitchfork into the logs of the house.

Wednesday

On Palm Wednesday, April 2023, 5, two saints are commemorated: St. Innokenty Veniaminov and St. Jonah, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Our Country.

Innokenty Veniaminov was a great missionary, lived for 15 years in Alaska, preached the Christian faith to the peoples of the Far North, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. It was he who brought education and enlightenment there – he built temples, taught children, created an alphabet for the Aleut language.

For strict observance of monastic vows and labors for the good of the church, Saint Jon received the gift of miracle-working during his lifetime, thanks to which he was able to heal the sick.

Thursday

On April 6, the Orthodox honor the memory of the Reverend Mary of Egypt, whose life path was amazing. Leaving her parents’ home early, Mary spent 17 years of her life in sin and vice. By chance, she ended up in Jerusalem, but could not enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Horror seized Mary, she began to pray and promised to correct her sins. Feeling enlightened, she entered the Temple, bowed to the Life-Giving Cross, and then went into the desert, where she lived for 47 years until her death, spending her days in solitude, prayer and fasting.

The people believed that on the Day of Remembrance of St. Mary of Egypt, the end of winter comes and the flood begins. It was customary to watch the geese – the higher they fly, the fuller the rivers will be. And they also believed that on this day the brownie and the water one wake up.

In addition, on April 6, Martyr Abraham of Bulgaria is remembered – a native of a Muslim family, who converted to Christianity, for which he was subjected to cruel torture, but remained faithful to his faith.

Memorial Day of St. Gerontius also falls on April 6th. Being a monk of the Kiev Caves Monastery, he spent his whole life in the monastery in prayer and service to God.

Friday

Palm Friday in 2023 falls on April 7 – the Day of Remembrance of the Monk Titus the Wonderworker, who entered the monks at a very young age. For his righteous life, deep faith, meekness and love for others, the monk was awarded the gift of miracles and healing.

On this day, it was customary for people to look closely at how quickly the snow melts and how ice behaves on the rivers. It was believed that if the ice does not go well, then fishing this year will be bad, and the people will have a hard time.

Lazarev Saturday

Lazarus Saturday is an important church holiday that reminds us of the miracle of the resurrection by Jesus Christ of his friend and associate, the righteous Lazarus. This is not the first such miracle performed by the Lord. What is significant about it?

The fact is that in the case of Lazarus, the Savior was able to get to the body only 4 days after his death, when the natural processes of decomposition had already begun. Arriving in Bethany, the Lord began to pray intensely, after which Lazarus came out of the cave – alive and unharmed. After the resurrection, he lived another 30 years.

It is on Lazarus Saturday that it is customary to collect willow in order to consecrate it at the All-Night Vigil.

In the old days, peas were sown on this day – it was believed that Lazarus could bestow a good harvest of this crop. Housewives baked loaves according to the number of family members, one of whom put a coin. They believed that whoever gets the coin will be happy for a whole year. And for a young girl, a coin gave hope for a successful marriage.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is the main holiday of Palm Week, celebrated on the eve of Holy Week. In 2023, it falls on April 9th. As already mentioned, another name for the holiday is the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.

After the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus Christ arrived in the city, where he was greeted with honors, covering the road with palm branches. His deed converted many to the Christian faith. People finally recognized the Lord, dreaming of seeing in him an earthly King.

The Savior knew that another fate awaited him – death in the name of atonement for human sins. In memory of these events, Palm Sunday is so highly revered in Orthodoxy.

On the night from Lazarus Saturday to Palm Sunday, the All-Night Vigil is celebrated. Parishioners bring willow bouquets to bless, and stand throughout the service with twigs and lit candles. In Orthodoxy, this rite symbolizes the meeting of the Lord in Jerusalem. If for some reason it was not possible to attend the Vespers, you can also consecrate the willow at the morning service.

Our ancestors, having come home from the church, lightly beat the household members with branches, believing that this would save them from ailments and the evil eye. Cattle and domestic animals were also whipped with willow – they believed that it would bring health and good offspring.

Do’s and Don’ts on Palm Week

Palm Week falls on Great Lent and precedes Holy Week. Therefore, during all seven days it is necessary to monitor not only what you do, but also what you eat and even what you think.

On Palm Week, you should refrain from the following things.

• Drinking alcohol (with the exception of a small amount of red wine on Saturday and Sunday).
• Overeating and eating food of animal origin (some concessions are still provided for fasting).
• Foul language, quarrels, swearing.
• Hard physical work.
• Household chores, needlework.
• Hunting, noisy festivities, fun.
• Fulfillment of marital duty.

On Palm Week, it is recommended to visit temples more often and visit the graves of loved ones. Weather permitting, you can tidy up the cemetery a bit.

Food also has its own restrictions, it is allowed to use such products:

• Monday – raw fruits and vegetables, honey, nuts, bread,
• Tuesday – boiled vegetable food without oil,
• Wednesday – raw fruits and vegetables, honey, nuts, bread,
• Thursday – boiled vegetable food without oil,
• Friday – raw fruits and vegetables, honey, nuts, bread,
• Saturday – boiled food of plant origin, butter, bread, wine, caviar,
• Sunday – boiled food of plant origin, butter, bread, wine, fish.

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