Palm Weaving

Palm weaving is the act of weaving palm fronds into crosses or other decorative designs.http://www3.jsonline.com/lifestyle/people/apr00/palm041600.asp?format=print This is a religious tradition in many families in the Philippines.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zuOYst3zVY Palm weavings are made to decorate the graves of loved ones, place in homes for good luck or hung on doors to ward off evil spirits.

Some Catholic churches distribute the palm leaves so that the congregation will weave them into crosses that are used at the Easter Sunday service.

Symbolism

Palms are used to represent the palm leaves that were strewn before Jesus to soften His journey as He entered Jerusalem a few days before his crucifixion. This is often referred to in Bibles as The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem because He was receiving acclaim.http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/783-the-triumphal-entry-of-jesus-into-jerusalem

Some churches reenact Jesus' journey by walking on the woven palms during a procession down the main church aisle. After the service, the palms are collected and burned and the remaining ash may be used for the following year's Ash Wednesday service.

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Palm Weavers

source: www.youtube.com

The videographer interviews and films a mother and son team of palm weavers the day before Palm Sunday in the Philippines in 2007. They speak mostly in Tagalog, but the videographer translates into English. Very intricate weavings are shown on this film. Some of the weaves require the weaver to cut the palm fronds with a knife. The weavers also use ribbon, flowers, and a stapler in their palm weaves.