By Francis Quamina Farrier
TODAY, March 24, is being celebrated by billions of Christians worldwide. It is the happy Feast of Palm Sunday. On this Palm Sunday, the Biblical recorded triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, as crowds of His followers placed palm branches before Him, while singing songs of praise. It was only a matter of a few days before another crowd lustily called for Him to be crucified. On what has been celebrated as “Palm Sunday” here in Guyana for centuries, Christians celebrate one of the year’s most joyous Christian Feast Days. It is a time when palm branches are cut from palms and waved in celebration at Holy Masses and other Church Services.
There are occasions when some Palm Sunday activities actually spill out of the church and the Faithful process in the public domain. These are the occasions when church elders organise with members to display their faith and love, as well as their loyalty and dedication to the wider society as Christians. Official permission from the relevant authority is requested for such use of the public domain. That is usually given, and Police support is readily supplied. In every instance over the years, all went well.
There have been many occasions when onlookers have even joined in the singing as a procession went by.
By-and-large, Guyanese show respect for religious events which are performed in the public domain. I can recall an incident when there was a public religious procession. Approaching it from a side street was a youngster pushing a BOOM-BOOM cart, which was playing the latest pop songs extremely loud. One of the church group elders approached the youngster and requested to lower the volume a little. The young man displayed full respect by turning down the volume of the music he was playing to a level that did not interfere with the worshipers’ prayers as they went by. Guyanese are usually respectful of religious organisations. We have been well aware of the official policy of the government of Guyana since the time of independence. The three major religions – Christianity, Hinduism and Islam – have all been included in official events such as the opening of Parliament and Remembrance Day.
As is known, the most loved palm tree in Guyana is the coconut tree. The produce of this particular palm family member is a great money-earning one: water coconut. The liquid inside this large nut is extremely popular, especially with men. Some decades ago, the celebrated Jamaican singer Harry Belafonte, recorded a song with lyrics extolling the virtues of coconut water; “Coca got a lot of iron. Make you strong like a lion,” the singer advises in that very rhythmic Caribbean song.
Unfortunately, however, in his song, Belafonte never mentions anything about the palm leaves of the coconut tree, without which there will be no coconut or coconut water. Palms, whether they be coconut, are the most commercially viable. With their strong tap roots, palms, such as the coconut and the century palm, are most useful in holding the soil together. So, it is fair to state that palm trees are worthy of our respect, from root to trunk to leaves. Palm trees should also be respected for their longevity; many of the palm tree family live to be 100. Think of the Century Palm; it is so lofty and awesome!
In the accompanying photograph to this article, is a palm tree which was planted by Prince Charles, who is now King Charles lll of the United Kingdom. As such, that tree should be a tourist attraction, especially for Brits. I wonder whether the authorities at Linden have ever promoted this tree as a tourist attraction. I also wonder whether the British High Commission members in Georgetown have been informed of this tree and its significance to His Majesty King Charles lll. Maybe a leaf from this tree could be on display at the High Commission as a relic for those British tourists who are unable to get to Linden in Guyana. Just a thought. A leaf from a tree might be as informative as a leaf from a book. One only has to read it carefully.
