Why does the presence of willow branches matter on Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is celebrated in many cultures using the branches of a willow, particularly where palm leaves are a climate-limited resource. They are an alternative that can be used to commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, when people placed palm branches before him as an act of respect and thanksgiving.
Willows have especially evocative symbolic significance in eastern Europe, in Poland, Ukraine and Russia, where they represent renewal and strength, which are all associated with spring and the renewal of faith. Willow limbs are blessed in church and carried on processions or put up in households to protect and heal.
This practice exhibits the flexibility of Christian culture, drawing on native plants to celebrate the meaning of Palm Sunday and connect to the local natural and cultural landscape.