Domenica delle palme – The sound of the ancient bells in the Duomo in Barga Vecchia rang out over the city this afternoon as Palm Sunday and the Easter celebrations started in earnest thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Campanari of Barga who for many years been practising their art here in Barga.
They can quite rightly throw out their chests when they speak about their bells and techniques (not to mention all the essential maintenance work carried out by their members on the bells) as the group has representatives of four generations working side by side making sure that the sound of their bells can be heard right across the valley.
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in each of the four canonical Gospels. Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week, the last week of the Christian solemn season of Lent that precedes the arrival of Eastertide.
In most liturgical churches, Palm Sunday is celebrated by the blessing and distribution of palm branches (or the branches of other native trees), representing the palm branches which the crowd scattered in front of Christ as he rode into Jerusalem.
