Today is the seventh Sunday in the Great Lent and is known as Hosanna Sunday or Palm Sunday.
The word Hosanna is Greek and is derived from the Hebrew word Ho-sha-a-nan which means Save us. It is the word that the Jewish multitude said in welcoming Our Lord Jesus Christ as King during His entry to Jerusalem.
The word Palm came from the way the multitude welcomed Our Lord by using palm and olive branches. From here came the naming of this Sunday as Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday in the Coptic Orthodox Church has a special rite. During the offering of the morning incense, a procession inside the church consisting of the Holy cross,candles, palm and olive branches, flowers, incense, and the icon of the entry of Our Lord to Jerusalem is made. Twelve readings from the Holy Gospel are read at different locations in the church. Before each reading, the father priest says theprayer of the Holy Gospel. All these do not occur during regular Sundays....