The sixth and last Sunday of Lent and beginning of Holy
Week, a Sunday of the highest rank, not even a
commemoration of any kind being permitted in the Mass.
The Roman Missal marks the station at St. John Lateran
and before September, 1870, the pope performed the
ceremonies there. The Latin liturgical books call it Dominica
in Palmis, Dominica or Dies Palmarum. From the cry of the
people during the procession the day has received the
name Dominica Hosanna or simply Hosanna. Because
every great feast was in some way a remembrance of the
Resurrection of Christ and was in consequence called
Pascha. From the custom of also blessing flowers and
entwining them among the palms arose the terms Dominica
florida and dies floridus. Flower-Sunday was well known in
England, in Germany as Blumensonntag or Blumentag.
Since this Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week, during
which sinners were reconciled, it was called Dominica
indulgentioe, competentium, and capitilavium from the
practice of washing and shaving of the head as a bodily
preparation for Baptism. During the early centuries of the
Church this sacrament was conferred solemnly only in the
night of Holy Saturday. In England the day was called
Olive or Branch Sunday, or Sunday of the Willow Boughs.
Since the celebration recalled the solemn entry of Christ
into Jerusalem people made use of many quaint and
realistic representations; thus, a figure of Christ seated on
an ass, carved out of wood was carried in the procession.
In some places in Germany and France it was customary to
strew flowers and green boughs about the cross in the
churchyard. After the Passion had been recited at Mass
blessed palms were brought and this cross (in
consequence sometimes called the Palm cross) was
wreathed and decked with them to symbolize Christ’s
victory. In many parts of England a large and beautiful tent
was prepared in the churchyard. Two priests accompanied
by lights brought the Blessed Sacrament in a beautiful cup
or pyx hung in a shrine of open work to this tent. A long-
drawn procession with palms and flowers came out of the
church and made four stations at the Laics' cemetery north
of the church, at the south side, at the west door, and
before the church-yard cross, which was then uncovered.
At each of these stations Gospels were sung. After the
singing of the first Gospel the shrine with the Blessed
Sacrament was borne forward. On meeting, all prostrated
and kissed the ground. The procession then continued. The
door of the church was opened, the priests held up on high
the shrine with the Blessed Sacrament, so that all who
went in had to go under this shrine, and thus the
procession came back into the church. The introduction of
the Blessed Sacrament into the Palm Sunday procession is
generally ascribed to Bl. Lanfranc who ordered the
ceremony for his Abbey of Bec.
The ceremonies had their origin most probably in
Jerusalem. In the "Peregrinatio Sylviæ", undertaken
between 378 and 394, they are thus described: On the
Lord’s Day which begins the Paschal, or Great, Week, after
all the customary exercises from cook-crow till morn had
taken place in the Anastasia and at the Cross, they went to
the greater church behind the Cross on Golgotha, called
the Martyrium, and here the ordinary Sunday services were
held. At the seventh hour (one o'clock p. m.) all proceeded
to the Mount of Olives, Eleona, the cave in which Our Lord
used to teach, and for two hours hymns, anthems, and
lessons were recited. About the hour of None (three o'clock
p. m.) all went, singing hymns, to the Imbomon, whence
Our Lord ascended into Heaven. Here two hours more
were spent in devotional exercises, until about 5 o'clock,
when the passage from the Gospel relating how the
children carrying branches and Palms met the Lord, saying
"Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord" is
read. At these words all went back to the city, repeating
"Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord." All
the children bore branches of palm or olive. The faithful
passed through the city to the Anastasia, and there recited
Vespers. Then after a prayer in the church of the Holy
Cross all returned to their homes.