Palm Sunday

All year I have been looking forward to experiencing the season of Lent and Easter in Jerusalem, where it all originally happened. Well about ten days ago I got to my first taste with the Palm Sunday events! The day started with a march around the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City courtyard with palms, continuing into the morning's service. After lunch, we joined the MASSES  heading into the Old City waving palms, playing drums, singing and generally enjoying a gorgeous day!

Me, Alma, Anna and Kirsten are PUMPED!

 The event was BYO Palm Branch although you could buy them from folks on the street. The march started on the Mount of Olives with the scout troops leading the way. With pretty marching costumes, drums and flags these youth were a great way to get the energy off to the right start.

For a while our group ended up walking beside a large group of young women from Spain who emphatically sang camp-style songs about Jesus and God the entire way. Needless to say, they were a fun spectacle to walk beside

Crowds, palms and the Israeli flag on a settlement house.

I was impressed with the crowd. It really was an enormous mass of people gathered and walking.

Crowd Dispersal Specialists

The police and the riot horses were also present at the event, to ensure safety. The riot horses are enormous, well-trained war horses who specialize in "dispersing crowds" when needed. Most often, they are used again demonstrators who have gotten out of control. It was frightening to see them in person. They are ENORMOUS and have special shoes for working on pavement (and for taking people down when necessary...).

The march goes all the way down into the Old City of Jerusalem. Afterward, Anna and I got ice cream from a man's shop on the Mount of Olives. He asked how we had enjoyed the walk and we commented on the huge crowds. He said, tourists maybe, but there used to be a lot more Palestinians... before the wall. Now many of the Christians in the area live in the West Bank and cannot get permits into Jerusalem in order to participate in events such as this one. It is easier for Christians to get permits during Holy Seasons like this one, but even easier is still very difficult and most are unable to come.

As with every aspect of life here, the shadow of the conflict looms over everything. It is hard to think that Palestinian Christians who have lived here their whole lives are denied the pleasure of Palm Sunday march into Jerusalem while a bunch of tourists, including myself, are allowed in.