SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A lively scene unfolded in Bankers Hill on Sunday as community members gathered to celebrate the start of Holy Week.
Attendees formed a line, walking, drumming and dancing, while the scent of burning frankincense filled the air.
"We celebrate Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem as the people threw palms in front of him to herald his entrance," said Phyllis Lengyel, a board member at Saint Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in San Diego.
The procession marked the beginning days of celebration, leading up to Easter.
"What we do at Saint Paul's is that we bring the cathedral to the streets and welcome them... every single one in love and faith," she said.
To prepare for the event, more than 500 palm leaves were cut for members to hold during the procession.
"The palms were strewn in Jesus's path to welcome him into Jerusalem," Lengyel told ABC 10News.
Planning for next year’s Holy Week begins immediately after this year's Easter.
"These palms are then blessed by the priests, then they're ceremonially burned, and they become the ashes for Ash Wednesday of next Lent," Lengyel explained.
As Easter Sunday approaches, the work and preparation continues for Saint Paul's Episcopal Cathedral.
