Why are Christians taking to the streets and marching with Crosses, Palms - and Donkeys?

St Peter's Palm Sunday Procession in Bethnal Green, east London.

The Diocese of London reports an increasing interest in people taking part in Palm Sunday processions. The Church of England in London says that some churches are, 'reviving the Anglo-Catholic tradition of processing on Palm Sunday and distributing palm crosses,' on the Sunday before Easter.

Donkeys are in demand on Palm Sunday

Laura Gariglio/Unsplash

Meanwhile, there is an increasing demand for donkeys to take part in the traditional processions. Churches such as St Martin-in-the-Fields and St James, Piccadilly are using donkeys to lead their processions – alongside east end parishes such as St Peter's, Bethnal Green.

'It's a busy time for donkeys,' said Chris Pounds from Hackney City Farm, which provides donkeys. 'We are getting more calls - they ring as if no-one has ever thought of it before and we have to say that we're already doing four events.'

Palm Sunday processions appeal to children because of the donkey and the colourful process. The Vicar of St Peter's, Rev Adam Atkinson said, 'One family who were pushing a child in a buggy and followed the procession are now part of the church congregation. My dream would be to have a Dixie style band lead us. We'd certainly get more people following and there's no reason why we might not conduct the whole service outside. It is far less threatening for people to be in the open and come on their terms.'

Credits: Andy Walton