What time is the willow tree blessed on Palm Sunday? Many people don’t know how to consecrate and where to store the symbol of Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is a major Orthodox holiday, one of the main attributes of which is the blessed willow tree. After the service, many people ask the question: where to put the willow after Palm Sunday and how long can it be stored? In order not to desecrate the symbol of this great day with careless handling, you need to know the basic rules for handling consecrated willow branches.

What to do with consecrated willow on Palm Sunday and after?

They tear willow according to a centuries-old tradition on Lazarus Saturday or on the eve of the holiday. They choose the most beautiful branches, with already blossoming gray or light green, even yellow fluffy lumps.

People come to the All-Night Vigil service on the eve of the great holiday - the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem - with branches of blossoming willow. After the rite of sprinkling with holy water with prayer - consecration - the Orthodox take them home.

A bouquet of willow is the main decoration of the “red” corner where icons are stored. Also, several branches are placed throughout the house, especially in the nursery or in the room of a sick person. They are usually placed in small vases with water. You can tie the branches with a red ribbon. There is no point in making interior decorations: after all, this is a home shrine, and not a simple tree.

Having blessed a bunch of willow in the church, Orthodox Christians divided it into several parts. One was left in the house, the other was taken to the cemetery for deceased relatives. The third and fourth were used for magical purposes.

In the old days, willow twigs were lightly tapped on the back, saying sentences out loud. It was believed that if you put twigs on the window sills, this would protect the house and household from natural disasters (thunderstorm, thunder, hail, rain, ball lightning) and thieves.

At home they kept only an odd number of branches equal to the number of family members. If there were more branches, they were given to the neighbors. Elderly people treasure willow with special care, not throwing it away for several years. According to popular belief, the blessed branches of this tree are placed in a coffin or stuffed into pillows.

Women, in order to get pregnant quickly, ate several buds of consecrated willow on an empty stomach, believing in its miraculous properties. In order for livestock to give birth easily and often produce healthy offspring, bouquets of willow were hung in the corners of stalls and barns.

Old willow twigs were used to sweep the corners. In some areas there was a belief that if you lined wells with them, the water would acquire miraculous power and healing properties. Elderly people advised newlyweds to keep willow in the house to avoid swearing, fighting and anger towards each other. When newborns were bathed, willow branches were added to the water. It was believed that this would bring strength and health to the baby.

Priests consider all these popular beliefs to be absurd and often clarify that willow branches are not a talisman. Faith and heartfelt prayer protect a person and his soul from evil and other misfortunes.

All year long, the willow will delight with its charm and remind you of spring and Easter. But after Lent, Palm Sunday is coming, and the question arises, what to do with the willow branches that were consecrated last year? According to the clergy, there are several ways to deal with last year’s willow:

If for some reason the willow has been lying in the house for more than a year, nothing bad will happen. But it is better to remove it from the house before the holiday itself, preparing a new bouquet for consecration.

Many, not getting to church or simply not wanting to go there on the eve of the holiday, consecrate the willow at home. Here you need to be careful and remember that the priest still needs to sprinkle water on objects with prayer. Therefore, the willow consecrated within the church on the eve of the holiday is considered to be real power and grace.

When preparing for the holiday of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, one should remember that the main task is not to consecrate the willow, but to bring home a state of Divine grace and joy, thinking about the soul and. Having found out where to put the willow after Palm Sunday, you can properly say goodbye to this symbol of the holiday without sinning or disturbing the peace of your home and heart.

This issue is resolved individually at the parish. However, the true consecration of the willow, as in the old days, is carried out during special prayers on Saturday. In 2017 it falls on April 8th. Many people do not know when the willow tree is lit on Saturday or Sunday. The question is complex; it largely depends on the order in the temple. Here is what modern sources write about this.

The day before on Saturday

It is called Lazareva, in honor of one of the most striking miracles of Jesus Christ. An event occurred during which Christ was able to resurrect Lazarus, who had been dead for 4 days and had already begun to decompose. According to legend, it symbolized the Savior himself, who would rise on the 3rd day after his death on the cross. However, the resurrection of Lazarus allowed hundreds of thousands of witnesses to believe in his power and divine calling. That is why Lazarus Saturday smoothly transitions into Palm Sunday, when Christ was greeted during his entry into Jerusalem. And according to the Jewish calendar, the holidays all begin the night before. It is for this reason that the willow begins to be blessed on Saturday at the evening service. It is at this time that the priest reads special prayers for the consecration of the frond - this is what the willow is called in Church Slavonic. If in southern countries Christians present various flowers and palm branches, as in Greece, then Russians buy branches of young willow for Palm Sunday. You can pick them in the forest belt, but it is better to buy them at the market or near the temple. They are sold in the temple, like church candles. Before the service (it starts at 4 or 3 p.m.) you need to buy a church candle and several willow branches. The candle can be placed in the temple in front of the icon or kept from the blessing of the willow. Usually such prayers are read at the end of the service in order to consecrate the willow. Then the priest sprinkles holy water on her, and then she can be taken away from the temple. Those who cannot bring willow can purchase it at the temple. After this, you can use it to place it at home.

However, for those who, for various reasons, cannot be in the temple on Saturday evening, after sunset, a special consecration of the willow tree in the temple is performed. The priest usually speaks about his time at the end of the service on the evening of Lazarus Saturday, but you can find out from an announcement at the temple or from parishioners. Exactly what time the willow is consecrated on Sunday needs to be found out only in the temple.

Sunday afternoon

You can find out the date of the service on Saturday or call the temple. Sometimes at the morning service, which starts at 8 o'clock, you can find out what time it will be (at the end). Then it’s worth going to the market or near the temple to buy several willow branches. Then come at the specified time. In this case, the consecration usually takes place not in the temple, but not on the street. The priest simply walks with holy water, baptizes the willow and after that you can take it home. It is considered a good omen if you can bring the flame of a candle to your home without it burning out. After this, she carries the source of grace into the house, protecting it from troubles and witchcraft.

Why is the consecration of willow needed and what does it give to people?

The holy willow is considered very useful for protecting the home from evil spirits. Its manifestations can be completely different. She protects some people from passions (in the church they mean suffering), the effects of witchcraft, or despair due to misfortune. During Palm Sunday, the fast is known to relax a little. At this time, you cannot do various agricultural work, house cleaning, laundry, or large matters. It’s worth preparing a festive table and placing several willow branches in the middle. They will remind you of spring and happiness, and give hope for better times. This is what this table can be like and what must be present.

1. A fish dish. It replaces meat. It is best to make baked fish, for example, with garlic, various spices, dill and basil. It is best to choose carp for this purpose, gut them and bake them with spices. It can be done according to the number of people in the house. For those who have little time to cook, you can cook pike perch in tomato, salmon or salmon soup, and even crayfish. The more delicious the fish dish - the main one for this holiday - is prepared, the better your holiday will be.
2. Salad with mussels, shrimp and seafood. You can do them in different ways. The simplest and most delicious is mussels with crab sticks, sweet corn, lettuce and orange slices. It will be a very tasty and pleasant snack, an addition to a fish dish.
3. Wine. It is better to use red or high-quality white wine, but not beer, champagne or cocktails.
4. Fruits and sweets. You can use a variety of dishes that will make dinner tasty and enjoyable. You can put lemonade or juice on the table for children. Different types of chocolate will help you feel the festive mood.

It is recommended to celebrate the holiday with family or friends without wild fun and an abundance of booze. Such a holiday will be pleasant for all household members. Don't forget to also select

March 31 and April 1, 2018 are important dates in the life of Orthodox Christians. These days, two important events are celebrated - Lazarus Saturday and the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem. This holiday is popularly called Palm Sunday.

On Saturday evening, on the eve of Palm Sunday, Orthodox churches are transformed. Because parishioners flock to the service and bring willow branches with them. Palm Sunday: when the willow tree is illuminated, on Saturday evening, immediately after the church service. You can also consecrate the willow the next day.

Why willow

Where did the custom of consecrating the willow on this day come from and what does this custom mean? Everything came from the traditions of the Jewish people. It was customary for them to greet the victorious king, who entered the city, with palm branches and flowers. This is how Jesus, the king of heaven, was greeted. In warm countries, the custom of blessing palm branches on this day has been preserved.




But in Rus' it was impossible to find a palm tree, especially in early spring. Therefore, the branches of willow and willow, the first to produce buds, became a substitute for the symbolic palm branch. Therefore, now believers are wondering when to consecrate a willow, and not when to consecrate a palm tree.

The best time to consecrate willow in 2018 is in the evening after Saturday service. Two thousand years have passed since Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem. But believers celebrate this big holiday every year with branches, as it once was. The willow in Rus' has always been considered a symbol of spring, and thanks to Christianity it has also become a symbol of spiritual rebirth.

The consecration of the willow occurs during a festive service called All-Night Vigils. After reading the Gospel, the priests consecrate the willows with incense, read a prayer, and then sprinkle the branches with holy water.

Sometimes people worry whether the water actually got on the branches, and try to sprinkle them again and again. But every person must understand that the willow is sanctified not by water, but by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it does not matter at all whether a drop of water fell on the willow or a liter of holy water was poured on it: all the consecrated branches brought from the temple can be considered a completed symbol of Palm Sunday.

If it was not possible to attend the service on Saturday evening, then re-consecration is carried out after the liturgy on the day of the holiday itself. Therefore, there are two times when the willow tree is illuminated: on Saturday evening or already on Sunday after the festive liturgy.




It should also be remembered that the consecrated willow must be brought home and placed with the icons. It is believed that it has a magical effect and protects the house from troubles and misfortunes throughout the year. Old branches must be burned, taken back to the church, or thrown into a fast-flowing river.

When to light willow in 2018? This must be done either in the evening of Lazarus Saturday, March 31, or after the festive liturgy on the day of Palm Sunday itself - April 1.

The Palm Sunday holiday, where the symbol is a bunch of willow flowers, always falls on the last Sunday of Lent. But the rite of consecration of palm branches is performed at the night service, which takes place from Lazarus Saturday to Palm Sunday. Then the ritual is repeated in the morning of the holiday itself.

The end of Lent is approaching, but there are still two big holidays ahead - Lazarus Saturday (April 20) and Palm Sunday (April 21), as well as Holy Week (April 22-27). In this article we will talk about when the willow is consecrated on a major holiday - after all, this is done on Saturday or Sunday.

The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem is an important big holiday of the Christian church. It always falls on Lent, its last Sunday. But this is a holiday, as evidenced by the diet, which only on this day expands to fish and fish products. An important tradition of Palm Sunday is the blessing of the willow tree in the church. But not everyone knows that the right day when this can already be done is Lazarus Saturday. If you are one of the people who did not know this fact, then we suggest you sort it out in order.

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Important! In fact, when the willow is blessed, you can take bouquets with you on Saturday to the evening service. After this, the first consecration of the willow takes place. But, if you were unable to do this or did not have time, then go to the morning service on Sunday, where a second rite of consecration will also be held.

Church traditions are different, but they are all beautiful and symbolic, and most importantly, they are already deeply rooted in the consciousness of modern man. The consecration of the willow on Palm Sunday is one of these rites. This is how we, Orthodox believers, celebrate the entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem more than two thousand years ago.

Of course, clergy during sermons on these holidays constantly emphasize the fact that the celebration of the day of the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem is not limited only to the consecration of the willow tree. The main essence of this celebration is to remember the events that happened so long ago. Jesus Christ knew, despite how warmly and sincerely he was greeted by the people of the holy city, that it was here that his disciple would betray him, he would be tortured in prison, and then, on an unjust accusation, crucified on a cross, emphatically without any respect.

When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem, the people there were waiting for him as the messiah. Many had already heard about the Savior’s miracles, and the day before, on Lazarus Saturday, he raised Lazarus from the dead, who had died four days ago. In those days, it was customary to greet noble and respectable people in Jerusalem by throwing palm leaves at their feet. You don’t need to look around to understand that there are no palm trees in Rus' now and never have been. Therefore, palm trees were replaced by the first tree that blooms already in March and early April - this is the willow. And willow branches and soft buds in bloom have become a symbol of this holiday in our territories.

Once again about when and how

Many believers think that the willow should be blessed on the holiday itself. But in fact, if we are to be guided exclusively and strictly by the church charter, then this is done at the liturgy the night before, immediately after the all-night vigil. Those who go to church on holidays know this for sure.

However, in the morning hours on Sunday they also consecrate the willow - not to deprive believers of such a great holiday. Therefore, on the morning of Palm Sunday, you can fall under this tradition in the morning after the priest reads the corresponding texts of the Gospel. When reading the prayer, the priest sprinkles the bouquets that the parishioners are holding in their hands with holy water, and then the festive service continues.

Important! The priests emphasize that not just for show, but for true grace in the process of consecrating the willow, one must come to the All-Night Vigil service, which takes place exactly on the night from Lazarus Saturday to Palm Sunday.

What do we do with consecrated willow?

After the temple, the bouquet must be brought home. It needs to be stored for a year, the ideal place is where the icons are in your home. If you want the twigs to remain fresh for a long time, you can put them in water.

Important traditions and features of willow bouquets:

• People believed that the number of branches in the bouquet needed to bring home was equal to the number of family members, or the number of branches in the bouquet was unclear.
• You cannot give your willow to anyone. If you were asked to bless a bouquet for friends who were unable to go to the temple, you need to collect a separate copy for them.
• Lightly and symbolically beat your household with a blessed bouquet to improve health and give strength.
• If you eat a couple of willow buds, you can conceive a child (for those who have been unable to do so for a long time), and be cured of an illness.
• In order for the deceased to go to heaven, several seals from a consecrated willow were placed in his coffin.

A week before Lazarus Saturday, traders with bunches of flowering willow branches appear in markets and passages. And the laity are wondering when to bless the willow on Palm Sunday.

When to consecrate the willow, on Saturday or Sunday

You can buy a bouquet of blooming willow any day of the week. But the willow’s miraculous properties are endowed by its consecration in the temple.

It is easier for residents of big cities to buy a small bouquet on the way home. But in this case, on Saturday evening (in 2018 it is March 31) before the start of the festive all-night service, you must bring the twigs to the church and hold a prayer service. The priest will read special prayers, sprinkle the willow with holy water, and endow it with healing powers.

If for some reason it is not possible to hold the all-night vigil, then you can bless the willow on Palm Sunday, April 1, at the morning service.

Attention! Sometimes parishioners try to stand in the row closest to the clergyman so that more water gets on their bouquet. Pushing and discontent arise. Under no circumstances should this be done! All that matters is the presence of the willow in the temple; it becomes consecrated through prayer, even if only one drop of holy water falls on it.

When to pick willow on Palm Sunday

City dwellers who do not have the opportunity to go outdoors to buy willow usually buy it from traders. It is better to do this from the second half of the week. This way, the willow branches will not have time to bloom much and will wait for the holiday in the best possible way.

Attention! Often sellers sell artificial branches along with fresh willow bouquets. Plastic willow is not blessed in church. Such flowers also have no value as a talisman.

If possible, it is better to cut willow branches yourself in a grove, forest or on the shore of a lake on Saturday before noon, and go to church in the evening of the same day. You shouldn’t collect huge armfuls of blossoming willow twigs. 5 - 7 branches are enough, this is exactly the case when it is not the quantitative, but the qualitative choice that matters. The branches should contain both already blossoming seals and very barely swollen buds. If you put the bouquet in water, which willows simply adore, then after a few days the branches will completely fluff up.

According to a long-standing Russian tradition, it is allowed to go for willow on Sunday before sunrise in order to bring it to the temple by Matins.

Note! No matter how the willow is purchased, you should count the number of twigs. There must be an odd number of them. It is best to take as many branches as there are people living in the house. If the number of family members is even, then another branch is added.

What to do with willow blessed in church

After serving in the temple and consecrating the willow, Orthodox Christians bring it home. The bouquet is lowered into a vase with water and placed in a place of honor.

Attention! Blessed willow cannot be distributed to strangers and relatives living separately. If someone asks you to bless a willow for him, then you should take a separate bouquet for this person.

On Sunday, at the midday meal in honor of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, the willow is placed in the center of the table, symbolizing the recognition of the true faith. Subsequently, the willow bouquet takes place in the red corner near the icons.

Before putting the willows in the water, they lightly hit all family members on the back with twigs, wishing them good health for the whole year. If something hurts in someone’s house, then they move a willow twig over the sore spot, saying: “The holy willow has come, the disease has taken away.” There are many conspiracies for the consecrated willow; village healers still use them in their rituals. However, church ministers believe that it is not the plant itself that provides healing power, but a person’s true faith in God’s help.

Blessed willow from the temple can cleanse your home of negative energies. To do this, the branches are crossed with each other, moistened in holy water and prayerfully sprayed into all corners of the house, moving clockwise.

Orthodox people believe that the consecrated willow will protect against the machinations of evil spirits, and will help to easily endure or completely avoid all sorts of diseases.

What to do with willow after Palm Sunday

After the holiday, the branches are removed from the vase, tied with red thread or ribbon and stored near the icons until the next Palm Sunday.

You can leave the bouquet in the water. It will delight the household for a long time with its beauty and smell. Perhaps the willow twigs will take root, and then they can be planted near ponds or on a personal plot.

Attention! When choosing the second option, you need to remember that willow is a very moisture-loving plant that requires frequent, abundant watering.

In modern interiors, an unpretentious vase with a bouquet of willow does not always look appropriate. In this case, you can make ikebana from dried twigs in combination with other dried flowers. You can weave a wreath from willow adding details that suit the decor of the room.

How and how long to store willow after the holiday

The blessed willow must be preserved for a whole year until the next Palm Sunday. If the twigs were dried immediately after the holiday, then they will easily survive this time unchanged.

The twigs that are left in the water will bloom and produce leaves. You can dry them like this. If the willow branches take root, then the right decision would be to give them a second life by planting them along the river. If the rods deteriorate and begin to rot (depending on the quality of the water), then they should be buried in the ground where animals do not run and people do not walk. It is better under a tree on a personal plot or in the forest.

Important! Priests and Orthodox traditions do not allow the branches of the sacred plant to be thrown into latrines and landfills.

Where to put last year's willow

The willow that protected the family throughout the year deserves a special way of disposal. Under no circumstances should it be thrown into the trash!

You can get rid of last year’s shrine in the following ways:

1. Burn on a fire along with last year's leaves collected from the site.
2. Send him on a free voyage down the river.
3. Bury in the ground in a quiet, untrodden place.
4. Grind and add to livestock feed.
5. Take it with you to the temple for the consecration of a new willow. Churches have tables for last year's bouquets. The clergy will set the willow on fire in a common bonfire.
6. If, God forbid, someone dies in the house on the eve of Palm Sunday, then the seals are picked from the willow tree and added to the pillow stuffing for the deceased. It is believed that such a ritual will help the deceased find the way to heaven.

How and when to bless the willow on Palm Sunday depends on the capabilities of the believers. It is better to do this on the eve of the holiday - on Lazarus Saturday. If this is not possible, then the trip to the temple can be postponed to Sunday morning.

A consecrated willow will become a talisman for the whole family only if the believer who brought it to the temple with an open heart prays to the Lord during the service. The priests say that first of all, on the sacred Day of Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem, Orthodox Christians should pray for their own souls and thank the Lord for the atonement of human sins through self-sacrifice. The willow is just a symbol of the holy day.