Kmflett's Blog

Palm Sunday- Start of a week of eggs & Toss Pot

29th March is Palm Sunday, the 5th Sunday of Lent, and the start of Holy Week in the Christian Calendar. It marks the beginning of a week of ceremonies ending on Easter Sunday.

Historically the key thing for most was that it marked the beginning of the end of the privations of Lent when the poor at least were supposed to stick to a restricted diet. Lent ends on Maundy Thursday or Easter Sunday depending on which version of the tradition is followed.

Palm Sunday was marked in English and Welsh Churches from Medieval Times. It could involve readings from the Gospels and the singing of the Passion. Mostly however it focused on the consecration of newly cut ‘palms’ Yew or Willow in this case.

This marked for many a sign that Spring, and a rather easier life after the passing of winter was firmly on the way.

From 1490 a ‘prophet’ also did a reading in some Churches. Ronald Hutton in Stations of the Sun records St Peter Cheap(off Cheapside in the City of London, destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666) hired a false beard for their prophet to give them greater gravitas.

By contrast E P Thompson in the Making of the English Working Class notes that Easter Week was the occasion for pace egging. One part of this tradition were Mystery Plays where St George saw off all comers while the fool, Toss Pot, laughed.

However actual eggs were also involved, often wrapped in onion skin and groups went from place to place pace egging.  Beer was also involved as it was on Palm Sunday when those involved in Church services invariably consumed cakes and ale. Lent did not apply on Sundays.