Palm Sunday

Or Flower Sunday, in Hungarian. They are blooming all over the city by now, the tulips above are in the Karolyi-kert, in the fifth district, the city centre's oldest public park. It belonged to several noble families and occasionally it was also church property before becoming a public park in 1932. Catkins are being sold all over Budapest these days, as according to popular tradition they are to be blessed on Palm Sunday, to protect against diseases, the evil eye and bad weather. People go to church carrying catkin branches-according to the Bible Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem with palm tree branches, but since they are kind of rare in Central Europe Hungarians have to make do with the local vegetation.