Palm Sunday is the traditional welcome for the Holy Week in the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country.
At the entrances of churches, vendors welcome church-goers with fronds and leaves aptly decorated for the occasion.
Called “palaspas,” most of them are freshly made from young coconut leaves.
Church-goers wave their palaspas during the entrance of the Palm Sunday mass.
The palms are blessed and brought home for placement on altars and sometimes on doors. They are brought for burning before Lent and the ashes used on foreheads during Ash Wednesday.
Meanwhile the line of vendors wait for the arrival of the attendees for the next mass. They remind me of the crowds lining the road more than 2,000 years ago.
“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.” (Matthew)
May you find peace, hope and healing in the week ahead.
Nes Felicio Photography 
Beautiful images!
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Thank you, Pam!
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Beautifully done Nes. You took me right back in time to Palm Sundays growing up, and the preservation of of the palm fronds after mass. Your closing wish for peace, hope and healing is a lovely close to a thoughtful post. Thanks for sharing it with us.
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Thanks, Tina.
The theme came up at the right time for this post.
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Nes, your post reminded me of a visit to Nicaragua during Easter Week. A century-old pilgrimage by oxcart tied us up in traffic and made our tour late to arrive back at the cruise ship. The oxcarts passing our bus was well worth the wait, especially knowing the sacrifices made by the pilgrims to prepare and complete their week-long journey.
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That oxcart procession must have been a sight. We have water buffalo processions, too, but usually in town fiestas. People practice their faith in many ways. Thank you for sharing.
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I enjoyed this beautiful post Nes. There is so much color from the palaspas to the inside of the church. I especially liked what the vendor’s shirt said, “See the good.”
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That shirt was a lucky find, very apt.
Thank you for your comment, Anne. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
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A fascinating post. So different from Palm Sunday here where the most a church goer will receive is a small cross made of palm or something similar.
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Thank you, Margaret. Practices differ. We once attended Easter mass long ago in London (Westminster Cathedral) and they served some snacks and tea afterwards and gave a small bottle of holy water to bring home.
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That sounds different!
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Although you might like to know that we have 2 donkeys in the next village. They are employed – by the parish church (of England) – just twice a year. Once for the Nativity at Christmas, and on Palm Sunday to re-enact the events of that day too!
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Wow! That’s amazing! Must be quite an attraction.
Great employment for the donkey. 😊
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Thank you for these wonderful photos 🙏🙏🙏
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My pleasure. Thank you, too!
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Such a beautiful tradition! Here we have palms and lavender, and often the lavender is strewn on the path in front of the church. I was at a procession this evening.
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Amazing! Those lavenders must make the path smell good; great idea. Thanks for sharing, Jo. We’re in different parts of the world participating in similar traditions.
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How fitting and so beautiful! This is a great post, Nes. Your photos captured the moment in captivating ways.
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Thank you, Egidio. I’m glad we’re back to normally practising these traditions, which were temporarily toned down during the pandemic.
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What good timing to share these special photos of palm Sunday in the Philippines. It brings back happy memories.
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Yes, it’s quite an integral part of Holy Week here. Glad it brings you happy memories.
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These are wonderful moments and so beautifully captured.
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Thank you for your comment, Sofia!
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Perfectly seasonal response. We have palms for Palm Sunday too and the church is decorated with lots of them. Thanks for the glimpse into another celebration.
janet
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That’s great to know. Glad to know we share this in common. Thanks for sharing!
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Great selections. Very thoughtful.
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Thanks so much for the comment, John.
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This is such a beautiful post, Nes, lovely photography and thoughtful messages.
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Thank you kindly, Ann-Christine.
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I am glad this is the response your chose for the challenge. It was informative for those unfamiliar with our faith, and the photos brought it to life. Hope you had a nice easter.
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Thanks. Definitely a nice Easter with family. Glad you liked the post, Donna.
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