Ge'ez CalendarWhat is Hosanna?
Hosanna (ሆሣዕና) is Palm Sunday in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo churches. It remembers Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, when crowds laid palm branches on the road and cried “Hosanna!”. It falls on the Sunday one week before Fasika, so its date moves every year with Easter.
Palm rings and crosses
After the morning service, priests hand out fresh palm leaves to the congregation. People weave them into rings, worn on the finger, and into crosses and headbands, which many keep at home until the next year. In Ethiopia, children often sell palm leaves outside churches.
The start of Himamat
Hosanna opens Himamat (ሕማማት), Holy Week, the most solemn week of the church year. From Monday to Saturday there are long daily services remembering the suffering of Christ, the Abiy Tsom fast becomes stricter, and many believers avoid everyday greetings and celebrations. Holy Week reaches its peak on Siklet, Good Friday, and ends with the Easter vigil on Saturday night.
How the date is calculated
Hosanna is always 7 days before Fasika, which the church calculates with Bahire Hasab. That puts Hosanna between late March and late April in the Gregorian calendar, often a week or more after Western Palm Sunday.