Tsaghkazard or Palm Sunday is a religious and folk holiday celebrated a week before Easter, in commemoration of Jesus’ “day of entering to Jerusalem” and the beginning of spring. On Tsaghkazard, churches in Armenia are decorated with the leaves and branches of the willow tree. In the morning, a holy liturgy service takes place after which the blessed branches are passed to the congregation, who keep it until the next Tsaghkazard. Before Christianity, Tsaghkazard was a spring holiday and it was dedicated not only to the water but also to the trees and flowers.

The tree of life emphasizes the evolution of life from birth to flowering and fertility. After the adoption of Christianity, the holiday has been adapted to the ideology of Christianity and celebrated as the day when Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem and was welcomed by the green olive tree branches. A few days before this holiday, women go to the fields and mountain slopes to collect different plants and herbs. On Tsaghgkazard, a vegan traditional dessert, named “Hatik” is prepared. It is made of wheat, pea, raisins, and sugar