Mizoram observes Palm Sunday with religious fervor and zeal

Mizoram, a Christian-dominated state, celebrated Palm Sunday with great religious enthusiasm and zeal on April 2 (Sunday). People, including children, youth and adults, carried palm leaves, chanted "Hosanna," and sang Christian hymns in the streets. The observance recalls an event in the Christian Scripture where Jesus entered Jerusalem and was greeted by people waving palm branches, reminding Christians of the welcoming of Jesus into their hearts and their willingness to follow him.

Churches of various denominations held special programmes to commemorate the occasion, which is celebrated on the Sunday before Easter each year, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and his triumph over death. Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, is the first day of Holy Week and is associated in many churches with the blessing and procession of palms.

The special ceremonies date back to the end of the 4th century in Jerusalem and are described in the travelogue "Peregrinatio Etheriae." In the West, the earliest evidence of the ceremonies is found in the Bobbio Sacramentary, which dates back to the 8th century. The ceremony for the blessing of the palms was elaborate during the Middle Ages, with a procession beginning in one church and going to a church in which the palms were blessed, and then returning to the church in which the procession had originated for the singing of the liturgy.

In the Byzantine liturgy, the Eucharist on Palm Sunday is followed by a procession in which the priest carries the icon representing the events being commemorated. The majority of Protestant churches, while celebrating the day without ritual ceremonies, give palms increasing prominence.

The day is now called officially Passion Sunday, with the liturgy beginning with a blessing and procession of palms. Prime attention is given to a lengthy reading of the Passion, with parts taken by the priest, lectors, and congregation. The palms are often taken home by members of the congregation to serve as sacramentals, and some are burned the following year to serve as the ashes for Ash Wednesday.