Russia’s Orthodox Christians are celebrating Palm Sunday. The day is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. The feast commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his crucifixion and resurrection.
Two thousand years ago it was not uncommon in the Middle East for people to use palm branches in triumphal processions. In Russia, pussy-willow replaces palm as it's the first tree to blossom in Spring. Patriarch Alexy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, will lead the liturgy at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.