Christian pilgrims mark Palm Sunday in Jerusalem

Backdropped by Jerusalem's Old City, Christian worshipers walk down the Mount of Olives, some holding palm leaves, during the traditional Palm Sunday procession today. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and is the start of the Christian Holy Week. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

March 28, 2010
JERUSALEM (AP) — Christians from around the world are commemorating Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, singing hymns and bearing palm fronds as they celebrate Jesus Christ’s triumphant entry into the holy city 2,000 years ago.

Pilgrims and local Christians came to Jerusalem’s Old City to attend mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, traditionally held to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Others celebrated at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem — the town of Jesus’ birth — and in the Gaza Strip, home to a small Christian population.

According to the New Testament, Palm Sunday marks the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, greeted by cheering crowds bearing palm fronds. For most Christians, it marks the start of Holy Week, which concludes with Easter the following Sunday.