You definitely can’t throw it away: what to do with willow after Palm Sunday

Years fly by year after year, times change one after another, we have just celebrated the New Year when it is already February, and then spring comes. It's time for a significant holiday for all Orthodox people. I am now talking about the long-awaited Easter. But this is not what we will be talking about today, as you may have already understood from the topic of the article.

Precedes the Great Holiday - Palm Sunday. It comes a week before Easter. Every year we bring home willow branches - a symbol of this wonderful day. Someone even consecrates them in church and keeps them near the icons all year, using them only for their intended purpose. Or rather, according to various signs. For example, one of them sounds something like this - that during an illness a person should, of course, be beaten lightly with these twigs and say the appropriate prayer. And the illness will go away, as if it never existed in a couple of days. Honestly, I haven’t checked it myself, but on the day of the holiday in our family we hit each other on the back, saying: “It’s not I who hit - the willow hits, the willow whips - it hits us to tears.” We do this so that the year passes successfully and without illness.

Another year passes and another year, and the willow remains on the icons. At least I have it, and all the time I was thinking what to do with it next, how long can it lie like this? Does it really need to be stored like this forever? You probably can't throw it away. Then what to do with last year’s willow, where to put it or how to get rid of it. I thought about this, decided to study the issue thoroughly, and this is what I found.

Why willow?

Many people don’t even think about why the willow is a symbol of health and longevity, but there is a detailed description of this in the Bible. The fact is that about 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ was able to defeat death itself, resurrecting his best friend Lazarus, who died from a fatal disease, with his prayer. In those days, it was customary to place a small palm branch over the bed of the sick so that the person would recover as quickly as possible. However, since palm trees never existed in Rus', custom replaced the tropical plant with the willow. Since then, Orthodox Christians have celebrated the holiday of Palm Sunday, which comes immediately after Lazarus Saturday.

Why was the willow chosen among all the variety of plants? Most likely, the reason lies in the fact that buds appear on it at the end of March. It turns out that in most cases, believers will be able to collect many beautiful branches for the holiday, which are not only a symbol of the coming spring, but also a harbinger of something good, warm and bright.

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When and where to put the consecrated willow from last year

There are many ways to dispose of an old willow, some of which I have already told you above. As for the timing, everything is simple here. There is no specific day or time of day when you need to get rid of last year's willow. You can do this on any day and time when it is convenient for you. You can, for example, take it to the forest or give it to church on Palm Sunday, or after the holiday. It doesn’t really matter, the main thing is don’t forget to thank her from the bottom of your heart for your service.

There are also unusual ways to get rid of willow branches. They are considered to some extent healthy. After all, some people drink tea, while others feed willow to animals. Yes, believe it or not, they drink tea from the twigs and say it is very tasty and healthy. They add just those branches or bark from the tree. Interesting... maybe I'll try this drink someday.

In the old days there were other interesting ways to use last year's willow branches. Here are some of them:

childless girls wishing to have children were recommended to flavor their food with willow buds;
to prevent diseases, people ate 9 catkins from a tree, they say it is a panacea for fever and sore throat;
they used branches and when bathing babies, they simply put willow branches in the water;
tree buds were also added to food for the family or animal;
during fires, branches of consecrated willow were thrown into the fire, believing in the miraculous properties that it would stop the fire;
consecrated branches have miraculous properties that are sometimes incomprehensible to us. For example, if a bride or groom is growing up in a family, then in order to find out how soon the wedding will be, they planted a willow in the garden and monitored the appearance of sprouts;
at other times, earlier on St. George's Day, animals were driven in the fields. It was believed that this would make the cattle healthy, and would actively gain weight and give birth to offspring.

Perhaps in some families these rituals are still preserved, passed on from grandmothers to our parents, and from them to us.

How to properly store willow in the house?

In order for the consecrated willow to stand in your home for as long as possible, it must be placed in suitable conditions. Here are the basic rules that are recommended to be followed:

It is best to choose a glass vessel as a vase so that the willow receives enough sunlight;
It is best to place the willow in a bright corner of the house, for example on a windowsill with an east or south orientation;
the life-giving liquid in a vase with willow must be changed from time to time (it is best to use well-settled rainwater);
Orthodox icons should be located not far from the symbol of health (ideally, “The Raising of Lazarus”).

However, it is worth understanding that any plant tends to die. So even a consecrated willow will sooner or later begin to wither, so you will have to get rid of it.

Is it possible to throw away last year's willow?

Even our Orthodox ancestors deeply believed that consecrated willow branches had powerful miraculous powers. They help to heal from illnesses, bring happiness to the house and drive away evil spirits. To do this, willow bouquets are left in the house for a whole year, until the next holiday.

With the help of the consecrated willow, various rituals were performed that helped drive away illness, conceive a long-awaited child, or drive away bad weather:

To prevent any diseases from coming into the house, twigs were used to “whip” all household members and livestock.

It was considered very good for health to bake a pie with willow buds and treat it to all family members.

Women who had been unable to conceive for a long time had to swallow a handful of consecrated buds.

A poorly healing wound was treated by sprinkling with powdered willow buds.

After the consecration ceremony, the willow branch turned into a piece of Orthodox shrine. At the end of the year, on the eve of the new celebration of Palm Sunday, you need to get rid of the old branches, but under no circumstances should you simply throw away the willow from last year.

When exactly should you remove willow?

Some Christians are accustomed to getting rid of the willow immediately after the holiday, but this makes no sense, because a branch consecrated in the temple can protect your home and household for at least several months. However, if you do not want to keep a willow in the house for a long time, then wait at least until the end of Easter.

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There is an ancient tradition of keeping willow in the house for a whole year, until the next Palm Sunday. Of course, you can do just that, but you should understand that over time the plant will lose its beauty and aesthetics.

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• Palm Sunday or the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem;
• Day of Basil of Pari (in memory of the Christian holy confessor Basil of Pari); • Vasily the steamer (from this day on the sun begins to soar the earth). The main sign of the day is that on this day it is necessary to consecrate willow branches, which can be used as amulets.

Palm Sunday is one of the major Christian holidays. On this day, people go to church and bless the willow, which is kept in the house for a whole year and protects from many troubles. Close relatives and children were lightly lashed with blessed willow branches. There is such a folk sign. She says that such a ritual can protect people from any problems.

Where to put dried willow

Many believers have a question about where to put the willow branches after the holiday, because simply throwing a consecrated plant into the street seems like something wrong. In fact, there is some common sense in this, because the willow is a symbol of Palm Sunday, so disposing of it along with the garbage is fundamentally wrong. Instead, you can use one of the following methods:

Take the willow to nature. It is best to place the plant away from roads and forest paths so that it is not accidentally trampled. Ideally, take it as close as possible to a river or any other body of water and bury it in the ground (there is a chance that the cuttings will come to life and take root).
Burn the dry branches and then scatter the ashes in the wind so that no one will walk on them. During this procedure, it is recommended to offer a prayer to Lazarus for the health of family and friends.
Plant a twig in the garden. If you decide to remove the willow from your house immediately after Easter, then there is a high probability that it will have time to take root in the ground. This method has a huge advantage over the previous ones, because if a full-fledged tree grows from the shoot, then you will have fresh willow branches every year.

If you still don’t understand how to properly handle dried willow, then just remember what you do with a piece of bread. Most believers will not be able to throw away the withered symbol of the harvest, prosperity and body of Christ. Instead, they will prefer to make crackers out of it or give it to their pets. You should do the same with willow - try to benefit even from dried branches.

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What to do with last year's branches

Like any shrine, willows require respect. The symbol of Palm Sunday cannot be thrown away either immediately after the holiday or after a year has passed. You can get rid of old branches in the following ways:

They are burned, fuming the living quarters and outbuildings with smoke. According to popular belief, this action will protect the household and family from various evils and diseases. Willow ash is buried in the ground, choosing a place where neither a human foot nor an animal's paw will step. The remains of the shrine can be scattered over the river.
Some priests say that the branches can be thrown into the river bed without being exposed to fire.
The best way to dispose of holiday willows is to take them to a church, where they will burn them after reading all the necessary prayers.

Interesting: church ministers often recall the ancient tradition of preparing a death bag, which is filled with soft willow buds, removed from old branches. This item is placed at the head of the coffin after a person dies. The priests note that the willow bag should remind a person of the hour of death.

What does the church say?

Many believers often ask priests where to put old willow branches. Here are some popular answers from the holy fathers:

Burn in a stove or on a fire, but not with garbage.
Bury in the garden under a tree or any other place where no human or animal can go.
Let it go down the river.

To be fair, it should be said that this should be done not only with willow, but also with other consecrated objects that have become unusable, for example, rotten Easter eggs and Easter cakes.

Popular beliefs

In the Orthodox tradition, a willow branch is a reminder of an important moment in the history of Christianity. But at the everyday level, the Christian faith merged with more ancient beliefs. This mixture gave rise to many popular beliefs. These include:

Blessed willow twigs are considered healing amulets. There is an opinion that touching him with a willow twig can significantly alleviate the condition and cure even a seriously ill person.
Parents used willow not only as a healing tool, but also as an educational item. They believed that if a small child was not spanked too hard with a branch with soft buds, it would improve his health and make him more obedient.
Young women wore beads made from willow buds, believing that they contributed to the rapid conception of a child and easy pregnancy.

A consecrated willow will bring health to a person if he is lightly hit with a bouquet
For men, amulets made from fluffy buds helped them in their work and protected them on long journeys.
Decoctions and infusions were prepared from the buds of young shoots, which helped in the treatment of physical and mental ailments.
It is believed that fumigation with smoke from burning willow and drinking a decoction from its buds helps drive out the demon from a person.
Willows installed on windows protect the home from natural disasters.
In rural areas, willow twigs were inserted into the roofs and walls of new houses. People believed that they would protect the house from witches and sorcerers.
Livestock and poultry were chased by willow branches, as they protected the herds from the evil eye and disease. Domestic animals were also fed young shoots to prevent poisoning of livestock by poisonous plants.

Is it possible to take willow to a cemetery?

For some reason, many Orthodox believers have the opinion that since willow cannot be thrown away, this means that it can be taken to the grave of deceased relatives. However, it is important to understand that the church categorically prohibits visiting the resting places of loved ones before Radonitsa. In addition, a dried willow twig is unlikely to look beautiful on a grave, even with artificial flowers. So most church ministers view such actions more negatively than positively.

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Signs of Palm Sunday

There are many folk signs relating to such a holiday as Palm Sunday. Here are three of the most popular ones that have been passed down for centuries from generation to generation:

If you think about your loved one for a long time on Palm Sunday, then soon your thoughts will materialize. This sign will be especially useful for young people who are looking for a mate.
If you plant a willow shoot in your yard on Palm Sunday, material wealth will soon come to your home. However, if the plant dies, this means that financial difficulties await you ahead.
If on Palm Sunday you consecrate as many branches in the temple as there are members in your family, and then give each one a sprout, then failures and adversities will certainly bypass you.

But cutting a willow near an unclean place, for example in a cemetery or near a landfill, is an extremely bad omen. It is believed that such a plant is imbued with the reputation of the place in which it grows. You can imagine what kind of energy you will attract into your home if you bring such a willow into it. So, ideally, you should cut the willow in the church garden or in the forest. However, try not to take too many branches to avoid damaging the tree.