Rooftops, laptops, and drive-ins: 25 photos show Palm Sunday celebrations around the world despite quarantines and social distancing
Gabbi Shaw
Apr 6, 2020, 3:25 AM
Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesChristians in the Philippines celebrate Palm Sunday on their laptop.
- Today is Palm Sunday, which is a Christian holiday that marks the beginning of Holy Week.
- Around the world, as churches are closed or severely limited to due the coronavirus pandemic, Christians are finding various ways to observe the holiday.
- In Italy, mass was held on the rooftops of churches so people can open their windows and “attend” services.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Christianity is
the world’s largest religion, with at least 2 billion people counting themselves as Christians in every corner of the planet.
April 5 is Palm Sunday, one of the holiest days of the year in Christianity, as it marks the beginning of Holy Week – the week before Easter. However, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, churches are closed and large gatherings are prohibited, leaving Christians in a scramble to adapt to these new circumstances while observing the holiday.
Thanks to technology and creative thinking, people across the globe are celebrating the holiday today via their laptops, Facebook, rooftops, drive-through churches, and more.
Here’s how the world is celebrating Palm Sunday, from the US to Tanzania to Denmark.
Jerusalem, Israel, is normally home to one of the biggest Palm Sunday marches in the world. This year, the streets are essentially empty.
Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance/Getty ImagesMonks walk through the street during a small Palm Sunday procession going door to door, as the the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is on a strict lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak.
Instead, monks are going door to door with masks to help citizens observe the holiday.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is one of the holiest sites in Christianity. Since it’s on lockdown, people have resorted to praying at its closed doors.
Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance/Getty ImagesA woman prays outside the closed doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre during the Catholic Palm Sunday.
The country has a total of 48 deaths due to COVID-19, with just over 8,000 cases,
according to Haaretz.
In Illiers-Combray, France, a priest set up his phone to live-stream services on Sunday morning.
JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP/Getty ImagesFrench priest Olivier Monnier set up his smart phone on a wooden candlestick facing the altar, before starting to broadcast mass with a video chat application.
France has been on lockdown since March 17, in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The
lockdown order was extended until at least April 15 after 10 days.
In Harare, Zimbabwe, Father Kennedy Mugute also used his phone to stream Palm Sunday Mass on Facebook Live.
JEKESAI NJIKIZANA/AFP/Getty ImagesFather Kennedy Mugute, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Harare, is seen in a smartphone screen as he conducts Palm Sunday Mass, which is live-streamed to parishioners on Facebook, in the empty Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Harare, on April 5, 2020.
Zimbabwe
confirmed their first case of the coronavirus on March 20.
The situation in Vilnius, Lithuania, is a little more high-tech, with a professional camera operator.
PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty ImagesPastor Evaldas Darulis is filmed as he leads the Palm Sunday mass, which is broadcast live, at the empty St. Francis of Assisi Church in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Eleven people have died in Lithuania thus far due to the coronavirus.
In Manila, Philippines, people are using their laptops to conduct mass inside their homes.
Ezra Acayan/Getty ImagesThe Mendoza family holds palm fronds as they watch an online livestream of a Catholic mass on a laptop as they celebrate Palm Sunday inside their home on April 5, 2020, in Manila, Philippines.
The Philippines is the
only Roman Catholic majority in Southeast Asia, with around 85% practicing the faith.
On the other side of the country in Borongan, priests drove through the streets to bless their parishioners waiting on footpaths.
ALREN BERONIO/AFP/Getty ImagesA Roman Catholic priest riding on a tricycle and wearing a face mask blesses the faithfuls holding coconut leaves during a Palm Sunday event in Borongan on April 5, 2020, as part of the Easter observance.
The country’s leader, Rodrigo Duterte,
cautioned his citizens, announcing his orders to the police and the military: “If anyone creates trouble, and their lives are in danger: shoot them dead.”
In Jakarta, Indonesia, people also used technology to observe the holiday.
BAY ISMOYO/AFP/Getty ImagesA family attends a prayer from their home during a live streaming of Palm Sunday in Jakarta on April 5, 2020, as part of the Christian community concern to stop the spreading of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
According to Al Jazeera, Indonesia has reported the most fatalities due to COVID-19. There have been 1,986 confirmed cases and 181 deaths as of April 3, with a fatality rate of 9.1%.
A church in Baltimore, Maryland, is determined to hold services.
Rob Carr/Getty ImagesA couple hold up a palm leafs after attending a walk-through Palm Sunday Service at Friendship Baptist Church on April 5, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Police were on hand to enforce the governor’s order limiting the size of gatherings in the state to 10 people or fewer amid the increasing constraints on social gatherings, Getty reported.
Father P. Gnana Reddy in Secunderabad, India, performed a private mass to an empty church.
NOAH SEELAM/AFP/Getty ImagesFather P.Gnana Reddy, holds palm fronds as he walks towards the altar to celebrate a private mass on a Palm Sunday event during a 21-day government-imposed nationwide lockdown.
As of Saturday, India, the world’s second-largest country, had a total of 2,547 cases, and 62 deaths,
according to CNN.
While India is a majority-Hindu country,
2.4% of the population identifies as Christian – or just over 24 million people.
In Rome, Italy, Palm Sunday Mass was held on a church’s rooftop so everyone could participate from their windows.
TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty ImagesA prelate holds a crucifix and a palm branch during Palm Sunday mass celebrated on the rooftop of the San Gabriele dell’Addolorata church in Rome.
Italy has been hit hard by COVID-19 – more than 124,000 people have tested positive for the virus, and over 15,000 people have died.
Windows all around the church were opened, so that the inhabitants could pray along with the service.
TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty ImagesA resident reacts while watching mass on the rooftop of the San Gabriele dell’Addolorata church in Rome from her apartment.
Roman Catholic churches are
ordered to stay closed until April 3, an unprecedented move in modern times, Reuters reported.
The Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain, remained empty.
PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Almudena Cathedral remains empty during the traditional Palm Sunday mass in Madrid on April 5, 2020.
The Almudena Cathedral is one of Madrid’s most popular tourist sites, but it stood eerily quiet on Palm Sunday, as the
country remains on lockdown until at least April 25. Spain has been hit hard by the virus, reporting over 11,000 deaths.
On the contrary, in Achmiany, Belarus, services were packed, though some took precautions with masks and gloves.
SERGEI GAPON/AFP/Getty ImagesCatholics attend the Sunday service on April 5, 2020, in the town of Achmiany during Palm Sunday celebrations.
As of April 4, Belarus is
one of the few remaining European countries that’s not on lockdown. The country’s leader, Alexander Lukashenko,
called the virus a “psychosis,” and said that “panic can hurt us more than the virus itself.”
In Lahore, Pakistan, people also donned masks to observe the holiday.
ARIF ALI/AFP/Getty ImagesChristian devotees attend a Palm Sunday service at the Sacred Heart Cathedral church during the government-imposed nationwide lockdown in Lahore on April 5, 2020.
Pakistan, the fifth-most populated country in the world, has
struggled to enforce lockdown rules, according to the New York Times.
Elsewhere in Islamabad, Pakistan, Christians are praying inside chalk circles to enforce social distancing.
AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty ImagesChristian devotees stand in circles marked on the ground to maintain social distancing as they hold palm branches to celebrate a Palm Sunday event in Islamabad on April 5, 2020.
It’s recommended to stay 6 feet away from people at all times to prevent the spread.
A priest inside the Podgorze Church in Krakow, Poland, performed mass to a small smattering of parishioners.
Omar Marques/Getty ImagesA priest holds a palm as he delivers the Palm Sunday mass to parishioners inside Podgorze Church.
The church seems relatively empty, as Poland remains on lockdown. The country
has about 3,500 cases of COVID-19.
In Copenhagen, Denmark, a pastor experimented with a drive-in service.
CLAUS BECH/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty ImagesPastor Thomas Christensen conducts a sermon at the Open Church’s drive-in service in Copenhagen, Denmark.
This is a good way to limit contact with other people, but still get out of the house to observe the holiday. Denmark is considering easing their restrictions, if the amount of cases and deaths remain stable after Easter,
Al Jazeera reported.
