In Pictures

Christian faithful mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

Christian pilgrims have participated in Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem at the start of the Holy Week.

A nun sings while walking in a procession during Palm Sunday Mass — A nun sings during Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead, in the Old City of Jerusalem. [Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo]

By AP

Thousands of Christian pilgrims participated in Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem at the start of the Holy Week.

Worshipers carried palm fronds and olive branches and marched from the top of the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem’s historic Old City, home to holy sites of the three Abrahamic monotheistic faiths.

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa and other Catholic clergy took part in the traditional procession, handing out palm fronds to believers before leading them in a procession into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where tradition holds that Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and is the start of the church’s most solemn week, which includes the Good Friday re-enactment of Jesus’ crucifixion and death and his resurrection on Easter.

The procession made its way from the Mount of Olives past the Garden of Gethsemane where, according to biblical tradition, Jesus was betrayed, then finally into the alleyways of the Old City.

Nuns take part in the Palm Sunday procession on the Mount of Olives in occupied East Jerusalem. [Mahmoud Illean/AP Photo]

A woman holds palm fronds during Palm Sunday Mass — A woman holds palm fronds in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. [Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo]

Christians take part in Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — The Palm Sunday Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre observes Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem in the time leading up to his crucifixion, which Christians mark on Good Friday. [Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo]

Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem — Pierbattista Pizzaballa, centre, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, walks in a procession during the mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. [Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo]

Nuns carry palm fronds as Christians walk in the Palm Sunday procession on the Mount of Olives. [Mahmoud Illean/AP Photo]

Christians walk in the Palm Sunday procession on the Mount of Olives — Thousands of Christian pilgrims participated in Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem at the start of the Holy Week. [Mahmoud Illean/AP Photo]