Palm Sunday in Greece

Palm Sunday is a very important day of the Greek Orthodox Church. It’s celebrated on the Sunday before Easter. In 2008, Palm Sunday falls on April 20.

Palm Sunday is celebrated to commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus in Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey after the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. The people of Jerusalem greeted Jesus waving palm branches and shouting praises at him. Palm Sunday also marks Jesus’s last week on Earth.

The Week of Easter –also known as Holy Week (Megali Evdomatha)- begins on Palm Sunday. However, Easter doesn’t happen in Greece only on the Holy Week. It begins with the Carnival Season . The last day of the Carnival, known as Clean Monday marks the beginning of Lent.

Greek Orthodox Lent is a time of fasting, which basically means not eating foods that contain animals with red blood and products from animals, including fish. In essence, it’s a vegan diet. However, on several Sundays, fish is allowed. Such a special day is Palm Sunday, when only fish and fish dishes are served.

>>more information on Greek Easter