Palm bush tying an Easter custom in Styria
Palm Sunday commemorates the solemn entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, where he was greeted with palm branches and hosannas. This biblical story gave rise to the tradition of making palm bushes and blessing them in church, which is still practiced today. You can find out more about this custom in this blog:
Material
What you need to make palm bushes:
- Palm catkins and other various wintergreen plants. Traditionally these are: boxwood, juniper, holly, yew, cedar and thuja
- Sturdy stick (e.g. hazelnut)
- florist's wire
- green elastic tape
- secateurs
- colorful ribbons
This is how it's done:
- Think about how big you want the palm bush to be. Use secateurs to cut the plants into suitable branches.
- Arrange the individual twigs around the stick to form a beautiful bush.
- Wrap the bush tightly with florist's wire so that it is firmly attached to the stick. Wrap the ends of the twigs with the green adhesive tape so that the wire and the ends are no longer visible.
- Now decorate the bush with colorful ribbons.
- You are now ready for the palm bush consecration on Palm Sunday.
On Palm Sunday:
Blessing of the palm bushes
Traditionally, Palm Sunday at Easter commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, where he was welcomed with palm branches and shouts of Hosanna. Based on this, the tradition of tying palm bushes and blessing them on Palm Sunday arose in churches. Whether small, large, handy or very long - (almost) anything is allowed. After the blessing, the palm bushes are stored in the attic or put up in the garden and are thus a sign of protection and blessing throughout the year.
