I think that this problem had never occurred to most of us, just as until recently we didn't realize that some parishioners might have allergy problems with wheat bread.

I think there may be better solutions than "plastic" palms. First of all, it is only John who specifies that the procession into Jerusalem involved palm branches (ta baia ton phoinikon). Matthew and Mark speak only of "branches," and Luke only of "cloaks." Egeria, describing "Palm Sunday" in 4th-century Jerusalem, speaks of palm and olive branches, which of course were native there; and, hey, they were coming down from the Mount of Olives, weren't they? In England, where date palms are hardly native, until the last century "palms" were branches of willow, yew, box, rosemary, or whatever else was at hand.

Let's use a little imagination, folks! There's something wrong with our liturgy if we have to send off to a church-supply vendor for imported basic worship materials!

Thanks to Bishop Smith for being willing to raise this issue.

Happy April 1 to you, too.

I think you've been had by another Episcopal Cafe "April Fools" prank, Bill. I almost fell for this one too, until Google revealed no "Diocese of Western Allegheny" in the Episcopal Church. But you are quite right: for generations, Orthodox Christians in Eastern Europe blessed and carried pussy willows on Palm Sunday, since palm trees didn't grow in their parts and pussy willows were about the only thing in anything resembling bloom in an area where winter is known for a prolonged presence.

Yep, "gotcha," Bill! ;-}

I hear that Switzerland is expecting a bountiful spaghetti harvest again this season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXmaS1ZzpA8

Ann Woodyard

Well, Tobias & Gregory & Bishop Chris, I guess I need to blush! I should have caught that! (Having just come home from this morning's Palm Sunday liturgy, I forgot all about "April 1"!)

But I think I still stand by my point. Because "we've always done it this way before" it doesn't occur to us that ordering palm leaves from Florida or Texas or wherever we in the north get them is actually kind of a dumb way to do the "Palm" Liturgy. But then, using "styrofoam" wafers is a kind of dumb way to celebrate the Eucharist, too! (But that's another argument for another day!)

FWIW, at our joint outdoor palm liturgy with Fordham ELCA, out on Fordham Road, the Lutheran Pastor's congregation were carrying an unusual form of vegetation I'd never seen before, while my folks still had the regular "sword-blade" palms. I will have to ask him what these leafy items were when we regather for Maundy Thursday's joint agape and eucharist. Inquiring botanists want to know!

They are Eco-Palms available as a Fair Trade product through Lutheran World Relief.
http://lwr.org/site/c.dmJXKiOYJgI6G/b.7522021/k.C95C/EcoPalms.htm

Maybe this can be a fruit of full communion with the ELCA?

Caoilin

We used them this year - got them from Eco-Palms. they are fluffier and softer

Thanks for the direction to "Eco-Palms"! I could tell some of my parishioners were becoming a bit "green" with envy. ;-)

Fortunately for us, we can just get ours from the trees outside. The main task is to wash them to get the dust off, and then they are good to go and essentially free. I've often wondered why church in more temperate climes did not simply use other branches, but I guess "palm" Sunday implies the need for "palms."

They used to, Dr Shy. No reason we couldn't revive the custom.

In parts of Russia the only plant anywhere near to looking not quite like a stick at this time of year was the pussywillow, so they used those instead of palms and the name if the Sunday popularly became Pussywillow Sunday. It's now such a part of the tradition that I've been in ethnically Russian parishes where, even though they ordered real palms like everybody else, branches of pussywillow were provided to cover everybody's tradition bases.