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The Conversation
The Conversation
Joanne M. Pierce, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies, College of the Holy Cross

Holy Week starts off with lots of palms – but Palm Sunday's donkey is just as important to the story

A man chooses a palm cross to buy on Palm Sunday near a church in Caracas, Venezuela, in 2022. Javier Campos/NurPhoto via Getty Images

For the Catholic Church and many other Christian denominations, the Sunday before Easter marks the beginning of the most important week of the year – “Holy Week,” when Christians reflect on central mysteries of their faith: Christ’s Last Supper, crucifixion and resurrection from the dead.

Palm Sunday commemorates the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem shortly before the Jewish holiday of Passover. According to the Christian Gospels, people lined the streets to greet him, waving palm branches and shouting words of praise.

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