As it is held in several states in the country, residents of Indore, Madhya Pradesh were
getting ready for the annual Palm Sunday celebrations.
However, citizens were taken by surprise
in the morning when they witnessed, probably for the first time, Rev Fr Thomas
Rajamanikam of Nandanagar church leading the Palm Sunday procession sitting on
colt of a donkey.
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Around two thousand years ago Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on
this day, the place where he would suffer and be condemned to death. Though it
was the practice those days for a king to enter their kingdom on horseback
after victory, Jesus instead entered the city of Jerusalem on a donkey in order
to conquer sin and death and free his people from bondage.
While such kind of services along with other traditional rituals
including Lenten programmes are observed throughout the country, especially in
the Archdiocese of Goa, Daman and Diu, at their respective parishes, Palm
Sunday marks the beginning of the most important week in the Christian Calendar
– the Holy Week, that precedes the week of events leading up to Jesus’ death
and resurrection.
The faithful in Goa like the rest of the Indian states and
abroad have been observing Lent for 40 days, starting from February on Ash
Wednesday and ending on Good Friday followed by Easter Sunday.
Good Friday is a day of sincere reverence among Goan Catholics
and on this day, a cross, symbolic of the one on which Jesus was crucified, is
unveiled in many churches. The rituals for Good Friday begin on the preceding
Thursday. A feast symbolising the last supper of Christ is held on Thursday
night. The end of this meal marks the beginning of the fast for Easter.
The Good Friday services draw a huge crowd with people dressed
in formal clothes with somber countenance. The priests narrate the sufferings
that Jesus Christ took upon himself for the sake of humanity. After the
service, the crucifix, which until this time has been kept from view, is now
uncovered before the crowd for veneration. A very somber ceremony, “the Way of
the Cross” is a re-enactment of the path Jesus took on Mount Calvary before the
Crucifixion.
Panjim,
which draws the largest crowd, a large wooden cross carried by an image of
Jesus is taken from the church, down the steps, and through the streets of the
city. It is carried by the clergymen while the crowd follows in two parallel
lines in front of and inback of the statue, some weeping and all with very
solemn faces. Those not participating in the actual procession look on from the
roadsides, both Hindus and Christians alike. Somber music played by a brass
band accompanying the procession, which slowly winds its way through the main
streets in Panjim before returning to the church. The Mass and procession occur
in every church in Goa, and the one in Panjim draws a big crowd.
