Pussy willow selling near Pokrovsky Cathedral in Vladivostok on the eve of Paskha, Russian Orthodox Church's Easter. Russia is the only country in the world where the day celebrating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is called Pussy Willow Sunday and not Palm Sunday: Russia’s climate is too cold for palm trees but it is just right for pussy willows, which begin to bud at this time of the year. Orthodox believers have a tradition of keeping the hallowed willow twigs throughout the year to decorate icons in their homes. Source: ITAR-TASS
