Palm Sunday or Květná neděle (“Blossom/Bloom Sunday” in Czech) is a Christian feast commemorating Christ’s entry into Jerusalem but in Czech folklore, it’s a day full of protective magic.
Palm Sunday is a movable date, it’s the last Sunday before Easter and whilst the English name comes from the palm branches scattered before Christ as he rode into Jerusalem, the Czech name comes from the blooming pussy willow branches that are called kočičky in Czech. Traditionally, the priest sanctifies these branches at mass. The name Palmová neděle (Palm Sunday) also exists in Czech, although it’s not common. Another, more religious, name for this day is Pašijová neděle (Passion Sunday) and there are even more names – Květnice, Beránková neděle (“Lamb Sunday”).
| Květná neděle, kdes tak dlouho byla? U studánky ruce, nohy myla. Čím sis je utírala? Šátečkem, lástečkem, abych bílá byla. | Palm Sunday, where were you? At the well to wash my hands and feet. What did you dry them with? A scarf, a leave, to be white. |
Would you like to know more about Czech Easter traditions? You can find all the articles here.
Table of Contents
Palm Sunday Folkloric Traditions
Magic of the Pussy Willow
This is another great example of how Bohemians, Moravians and Silesians managed to combine their folklore with religious beliefs. On Palm Sunday, the priest sanctifies the pussy willow branches that symbolize the palm tree branches (palm trees don’t grow in the Czech Republic), this was – and in some places still is – the religious part. Not even the Catholic church, however, could make people stop believing in the magic of nature and “witchy” things and so people believed that the pussy willow branches would protect them from evil forces.
During storms, people would place the branches at the windows to protect them against lightnings and hailstorm.
To protect the children from fever and soar throat, they would be given three blossoms to eat before lunch. The blossoms were generally used in infusions and given to the sick.
And branches placed under the roof frame protected the buildings from evil and if they were placed behind paintings on the wall were for protection against witchcraft. At the night of St. Philip and Jacob, branches were placed under doorsills and in the door to prevent the witches from entering the house.
In some places, it was believed that the longer the farmer cut his pussy willow branch and the higher he held it during sanctification, the longer his wheat would grow. Branches were also placed at beehives to protect them and into the wells to make the water healthy. Sometimes, people would make crosses from the branches and have them hang in their windows for protection, or even place them on the first stone or brick laid down when the construction of a new house was about to begin.
Usually, the branches would stay in the household during the whole year and when new ones were brought, the old ones were burnt.
Other Magic
Young girls would collect snow or dew and kept it in bottles. Just a few drops added to the water they washed themselves with would make them more beautiful.
Some people would go treasure hunting right after the mass. They would look for little blue flames and if they found one, they would throw some breadcrumbs in it to prevent the treasure from burning.
Thread makers would make as much thread as they could on Palm Sunday as clothes made from it, even if that item of clothing should contain a single stitch from threads made on this day, would protect its wearer from lightning. And those who had any new clothes, should wear them or at least hang them to “blossom” in them.
Don’t on Palm Sunday
Women weren’t supposed to bake anything from flour on this day, because she would “bake the blossoms of the wheat and trees” and there would be no harvest.
Born on Palm Sunday
If you were born on Sunday and that day happened to be the Palm Sunday that year, according to some Czechs’ belief, you might have some special powers. People born on this way understand the language of the plants, know their way around herbs and which herb helps with which ailment. Only these people are able to find magical spices that will cure any ailment. If you were born on Palm Sunday, let me know if any of these are true for you 😉
