23rd Palm Sunday

Born and brought up in a Christian family, my parents were sure to take me around on a procession on every palm Sunday. As staunch as their belief in Christ and involvement in church was, I don't think I would've gone one palm Sunday without the palm leaves, the commotion and the joy it carried. Well not every tradition can be kept every year, right? Not every birthday of every year can be celebrated. And so on. Here is the reason for a break in the legacy we follow. The corona lockdown!

As I'm going to sit at home this palm Sunday, I was wondering what I'll do. (And I hope you realise, what I've concluded to do) For me, a palm Sunday was so much fun, before I really got behind to know the real meaning. (Even after that it was fun😀) What made it fun was that the entire church would get ready earlier than usual and go around the locality waving palm leaves, singing songs, praying for people and so on. When I was a kid, I used to dress up like an angel and form a part of the scene cast on a Bullock cart. Trust me, everytime or at least most of the times, I broke my wings while my friend was careful enough to preserve it😝. Oh the amount of make up we used to wear, literally would wear me out. The scariest thing was the bull in the Bullock cart, it was no happy car ride or an airy bike ride, it used to be like a bumpy boat ride amidst a turbulent ocean. My friend and I would help each other in balancing ourselves. No we didn't let anyone between us, at least then. We were given buttermilk which over the years was substituted by packed juices to help ourselves quench our thirst after the long procession.

After the ariyatha vayasu(childhood ignorancy) stage had passed and I started to understand about why things go the way they are, why we do what we do. What went wrong for God to put a redemption plan, who God is and all... Palm Sunday became different. I grew up too, so I no longer was invited to be an angel but had to walk the dusty road with the other people in the congregation. I always made sure I walked at least two metres before the bull and for safety left someone behind and before me🤪. I used to search for a good company each year and then walk the miles with them, in case I don't have good company I rest beside my mom, walking all the way. During these processions, I pray for families, I sing and I continue to pray for the meaningful outcome of the day. This doesn't mean I won't have fun at all, but for my temperament, I had little fun and seriously hoped that people would understand the meaning of the day. Holding placards even when my hands pained had become a changed duty instead of being dressed as an angel.

This palm Sunday, I can't do any of these and this has brought me here. I thought I could explain to all of you reading, as to why Christians hold a palm Sunday. What are they trying to say in conducting something like a campaign.

I'll get to the four Bullock carts we usually have to tell the story. Along with the walking Church mates these Bullock carts carry people as in a frozen play scene.

BULLOCK CART NO 1: we express Christmas in the first cart. The very scene will have Mary, the mother of Jesus and Joseph, a few Shepherds, and yes us, a few angels, some animals too, since Jesus was born in a manger. This typically represents that Christ came into the world adorned by angels, born into a humble carpenters family, on a mission as great as saving the World.

BULLOCK CART NO 2: The second cart will have the palm Sunday scene replicated. Jesus while he was on the earth, was praised by the mouths of humbled people while he was hated by a lot of other people. There were two groups. All these people on the road acknowledged Jesus as their king, praised him, sung songs for him and expressed their love for him. They used the leaves that they found in Jerusalem at that time and we use the palm leaves we find in our time. That's the reason behind Christians carrying palm leaves, walking around the streets on a palm Sunday.

And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!"
Mark 11:8‭-‬10 ESV

BULLOCK CART NO 3: Of all the carts, this one needs the most make up and props. Props being the cross and extra make up for the look of reality of blood that Jesus shed on the cross. The third cart has the scene of crucifixion where Jesus holds a cross surrounded by Roman soldiers waiting to crucify him. The group that in the previous cart praised Jesus watched as He was crucified. As History goes these carts are in order too. The death of Jesus on the cross is the reason for his birth on cart 1, to die for the sins of the world was His mission as on cart 3. To pay for the price of the sin was His passion and that's the message we carry on cart 3.

BULLOCK CART NO 4: Death is not the end in any victor's story and so is it not in this. Jesus was crucified, dead and his body laid in a tomb. On the third day Jesus rose again, once again defeating death once and for all. He rose up to show the world He was beyond death and that death could not defeat him. This we depict in cart 4.

On looking at these carts, the viewer may understand the story we're trying to narrate. Though often the view of people, their laughs, their talks, the palm leaves, the commotion, the juice and the white dressed procession on the whole distracts the point we're trying to convey. This palm Sunday I thought I could show people a closer view to the truth behind the jolly jolly procession we broadcast.

On thinking about the day and all its memories and how hard it will be for us to not go out on this palm Sunday, it saddens me but the joy of the story must never leave my heart. The tradition must never cover the truth. The display must not overrule the message. So it's not about the palm leaves, not about the procession, not about the white dress, not even anything about the fun. It's a reminder to praise my Saviour, to tell His story, the story that saves the World.🌴😇

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