JERUSALEM (AP) -- Hundreds of
Christians from around the world marched from the Mount of Olives into
Jerusalem
to mark Palm Sunday, on March 28, retracing the steps of Jesus
2,000 years ago. The pilgrims waved national and
church flags and
followed a white donkey, which according to Christian tradition was the
way Jesus entered the holy city.
Others celebrated at the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, and in the
Gaza Strip,
home to a small Christian population. According to the
Bible, Palm Sunday marks the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem,
greeted by
cheering crowds bearing palm fronds. It marks the start of Holy Week,
which concludes with Easter the
following Sunday. This year the Roman
Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Churches mark Holy Week on the same
dates.
The Orthodox Church uses a different calendar from the others,
but they coincide every few years. (27 images)
