Because of Lazarus' resurrection from the dead, the crowds cheered for Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah and King of Israel. So to fulfill the prophecy of the Old Testament he entered Jerusalem, the city of the King, sitting on a stake (Zech. 9,9; John 12,12).
The crowds greeted Him with branches in their hands and addressed Him with cries of praise:Ὡas if! Εὐaccounted for The ἐρχόμενος ἐν Thein the name of the Lord! The Υvirusς τοῦ Δαυΐδ! The King itῦ Ἰσραήλ!"And because of this praise from the people, the priests and the secretaries finally"ἐask for aὐτTheν ayou are fighting»(Luke 19:47).
The feast of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Palm Sunday, is one of the twelve greatest feasts of the Church. The sequences this Sunday follow immediately after Lazarus Saturday. The temple continues to be resurrected, full of hymns that constantly repeat the "Ὡas ifWho addressed Christ as the Messiah King, who comes in the name of God the Father for the salvation of the world.
The main trope of Palm Sunday is the same as that of Lazarus' Sabbath. It is sung in all the sequences and is used in the Divine Liturgy as the third Antiphon, which follows the other psalm verses, which are sung as liturgical antiphons instead of those that are commonly used. The second troparion of the feast, as well as the kontakion and the other hymns, all constantly praise the triumphant entrance of Christ "πρThe ἕX thepartῶν τοῦ Easter», When he will surrender Himself at the last Supper and the Cross for the life of the world.
Σtheμερον the χaρις τοῦ Acίου Πνεύmatos theμaς συνtheγαγε · καὶ Piaντες αἴροντες τTheν σταυρTheν σου λέγομεν · Εὐλογημένος The ἐρχThemen ἐν TheνTheeye Sun.ίου · Ὡσαννa ἐν τοῖς ὑψίin. (First Private Member of Vespers).
Syntaxέντες σοι διa theῦ βαπτίσματος, Χριστὲ The ΘεTheς theμῶν, τtheς aθανaI live ittheς theξιohθημεν τῇ Aναστaσει σου καὶ aνυμνοῦντες κρaζομεν · Ὡσαννa ἐν τοῖς ὑψίin, eὐλογημένος The ἐρχThemen, ἐν TheνTheeye Sun.ίου(Apolytikion of the holiday).
Τῷ θρTheνῳ ἐν οὐρανῷ, τῷ Piohλῳ ἐPiὶ τtheς ctheς ἐποχούμενος, Χριστὲ The ΘεTheς, τῶν Aγγέλων τtheν αἴνεσιν καὶτῶν παίδων τtheν aνύμνησιν προσεδέξω βοohντων σοι · Εὐλογημένος εἶ The ἐρχTheμενος τTheν Adaμ aνακαλέσασθαι (Kontakion).
At Vigil on Palm Sunday, Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and King are read along with the Gospels of Christ's entry into Jerusalem. In Orthros are blessed Vagias, which the people keep throughout the feast as a sign of their own praise to Jesus, the Savior and King. These branches in the Slavic Churches are willows, which were established because of their availability and their early flowering in the Spring.
As the people hold the branches and sing to the Lord this Sunday, they are judged along with the multitude of Jerusalem. Because the screaming voices "Ὡas if"To Christ when He entered Jerusalem, they were the same as those who after a few days cried out"Stavroson A.ὐτόν»! Thus in the Liturgy of the Church the lives of people continue to be judged as they greet Christ with the "branches of victory" and enter with Him in the days of His "voluntary Passion".
Source: Fr. Thomas Hopko, Doctrine and Worship Basic Handbook for the Orthodox Faith, Volume: 1st, Apostolic Ministry of the Church of Greece, Athens, 2014