Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrated Palm Sunday on April 28 at the Entoto Maryam Church, located outside Addis Ababa.
Palm Sunday, in the Christian liturgical calendar, is the Sunday preceding Easter Sunday and marks the beginning of Holy Week. This festive day commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where he was greeted with palm fronds.
For this special occasion, a decorated horse, symbolizing Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, participated in the celebration in Ethiopia.
“The Lord said to the messengers, ‘Bring me the donkey.’ When the owners of the donkey asked where it was being taken, the messengers replied that the Lord needed it. That’s how he entered the city riding on a donkey, a scene that we reenact here,” explained the family father leading the horse to the church for this day of celebration.
The faithful began the annual Palm Sunday celebration before dawn. They prayed for hours, guided by priests and deacons.