Axum - Hossana (Palm Sunday) Procession

April 12 - The Palm Sunday procession is meant to represent the journey of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. In Axum, this procession is the highlight of the Orthodox calendar. The preparations are extensive, and even three special donkeys are chosen to lead the procession through town. The starting point is at the home of a member of the Axumite royal family. It began around 2:00pm. At about 3:30 other groups came to the home, got organized, shared a few drinks, danced and sang for a while, then headed to the main road and walked about 2-1/2 miles to the Cathedral of Maryam Tsion. 

Here is the group of deacons getting ready to lead the way for the priests. 

And here is the full procession getting started on the main road. Two teams of young men shuttle long carpets to the front of the line so the processors (and the donkeys) always get the royal treatment. 

The procession is now at the center of Axum and the crowd has swelled to about 50,000 people.

The priests, sheltered from the heat under umbrellas, follow the deacons. Under the red shroud is a replica of the true Ark of the Covenant. 

The procession is now at the Maryam Tsion compound. Once the line pases the stelae field, everyone will turn left toward the main gates into the compound. 

At the main gates there is a huge fig tree with 7 platforms representing the seven days of the week. As you can see, many people gather on the platforms for a good view of the celebration. 

Now inside the main gates, the crowd spreads around all sides of Maryam Tsion. 

The crowd settles down and rests for a few hours until the Hosanna prayer service begins at sundown.  At this point I would estimate the crowd at about 100,000 people, including two Americans right in the middle of it all. It was an incredible experience, and great fun, too.