Song of the Day - 13th April
Today is Palm Sunday, when Christians celebrate Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four Gospels. Its name originates from the palm branches waved by the crowd to greet and honour Jesus Christ as he entered the city. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week. The symbolism of the donkey refers to the Eastern tradition that a donkey is an animal of peace, unlike the horse which is the animal of war. A king would have ridden a horse when he was bent on war and ridden a donkey to symbolize his arrival in peace. Christ's entry to Jerusalem would have thus symbolized his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king. In most Christian rites, Palm Sunday is celebrated by the blessing and distribution of palm branches (or the branches of other, native trees), representing the palm branches that the crowd scattered before Christ as he rode into Jerusalem. These palms are sometimes woven into crosses. Today's song is a setting of a ...