Palm Crosses

[Rachel96]

Okay, I have no idea where to post this question, so I hope here's fine.

A random question for those of you who know how to fold palm crosses (or worship in churches where palm crosses are a thing) - how quickly can you fold them? How many in half an hour? In an hour?

I'm only asking because I fold them for a couple of parishes in my area and they seem to be hailing me as some sort of palm-cross-folding savant because, depending on the species of palm, I can fold between 100 and 150 in an hour. I know a certain amount of it is simply because I learnt at a VERY young age (about 6 or 7 I think) so I can fold them on autopilot. But I began thinking... it can't actually take that long to fold one, can it? Obviously I'm folding one roughly every 30 seconds, but even if it takes a minute, that's still 60 in an hour. It can't take much longer than that per cross for an experienced folder, can it?

There don't seem to be many people in this area who know how to fold palm crosses, despite me teaching at least half a dozen every year, so I have no-one else to compare this to. My mother's lost a lot of fine motor skills over the last few years, but I can remember her matching me cross for cross when I was younger - she also learnt as a kid.

I may have been thinking about this too hard, but I'm curious. Palm cross folders out there, what's your experience with folding them? How fast do you go?

(With photos from my most recent palm-folding session to grab your attention).

 

[HTacianas]

Okay, I have no idea where to post this question, so I hope here's fine.

A random question for those of you who know how to fold palm crosses (or worship in churches where palm crosses are a thing) - how quickly can you fold them? How many in half an hour? In an hour?

I'm only asking because I fold them for a couple of parishes in my area and they seem to be hailing me as some sort of palm-cross-folding savant because, depending on the species of palm, I can fold between 100 and 150 in an hour. I know a certain amount of it is simply because I learnt at a VERY young age (about 6 or 7 I think) so I can fold them on autopilot. But I began thinking... it can't actually take that long to fold one, can it? Obviously I'm folding one roughly every 30 seconds, but even if it takes a minute, that's still 60 in an hour. It can't take much longer than that per cross for an experienced folder, can it?

There don't seem to be many people in this area who know how to fold palm crosses, despite me teaching at least half a dozen every year, so I have no-one else to compare this to. My mother's lost a lot of fine motor skills over the last few years, but I can remember her matching me cross for cross when I was younger - she also learnt as a kid.

I may have been thinking about this too hard, but I'm curious. Palm cross folders out there, what's your experience with folding them? How fast do you go?

(With photos from my most recent palm-folding session to grab your attention).

If you can fold 60 palm crosses in an hour you certainly don't need any advice from me.

 

[tampasteve]

Very nice. At the Catholic and now Lutheran parishes that I have been to on Palm Sunday they hand out palm leaf strips, people make their own crosses with them, so I find this interesting that they are "pre-made" by someone.

 

[FireDragon76]

At the Orthodox church I used to go to, the priest used reeds, because in Russia they had so few palm trees, it was not traditional to use palms.

 

[Tigger45]

I prefer to fold my own palm leaf cross although I’m pretty slow at it as I only do the one once a year.

What bugs me are those who disengage from the service in order to get theirs folded. Its like seriously, ya can’t wait until after the service?

 

[Brightmoon]

Wow we never folded ours into crosses . I was told that it’s good luck for the household to keep it for the year ( not by the church this was folk wisdom)

 

[Dave-W]

What bugs me are those who disengage from the service in order to get theirs folded. Its like seriously, ya can’t wait until after the service?

Probably why some congregations have theirs pre-folded.

 

[Paidiske]

Very nice. At the Catholic and now Lutheran parishes that I have been to on Palm Sunday they hand out palm leaf strips, people make their own crosses with them, so I find this interesting that they are "pre-made" by someone.

I'm surprised; I've always seen them arrive for Palm Sunday services pre-made.

OP, I've never folded one (somehow I've always avoided this particular liturgical duty) but from others I've gathered most people find it awkward and laborious. My guess would also be that since most people would only do a few a year, if that, they don't easily become proficient.

So I suspect, just from that, that your efficiency is remarkable. Do you sell them? I understand some parishes have a small group folding and supplying to other surrounding parishes; could be a profitable skill for you!

 

[tampasteve]

I'm surprised; I've always seen them arrive for Palm Sunday services pre-made.

OP, I've never folded one (somehow I've always avoided this particular liturgical duty) but from others I've gathered most people find it awkward and laborious. My guess would also be that since most people would only do a few a year, if that, they don't easily become proficient.
!

Interesting! Yes, you are right on the time though...making only one or two a year my crosses look a bit weak!

 

[Tigger45]

I usually have to rewatch a video on youtube to remember how to fold them properly.

 

[Tigger45]

Wow we never folded ours into crosses . I was told that it’s good luck for the household to keep it for the year ( not by the church this was folk wisdom)

I keep a little folded one pinned to the ceiling of my truck.

 

[FenderTL5]

If you can fold 60 palm crosses in an hour you certainly don't need any advice from me.

I agree.
I have to re-learn every year and I'd say about a minute each is fair once the knack is re-established.

 

[Rachel96]

I'm interested by the people who say they get them not folded in their churches! I wonder if it's a regional thing? I've only have seen the pre-folded in parishes - Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox alike.

On the topic of Orthodox and palm crosses - Slavic parishes tend to use willow and not fold them into crosses, Greeks and Arabs have palm crosses. Anglicans usually keep the cross for the year (Bible bookmark, or on display in the home) and then hand them to the priest to become the Ash Wednesday ash. Catholics (as far as I've seen) tend to buy the ash in from somewhere, so they just keep the crosses indefinitely. Orthodox, not having an ashing day, just keep the crosses, usually in the icon corner.

@Paidiske - my mother's from an Anglican clergy family (my grandfather was a priest, as were/are a number of other relatives) so that's why she learnt at a young age and passed it on to me. I was raised low church but folded the crosses for my grandfather's parish for most of my childhood.

I haven't considered selling the crosses! For the most part it's a fairly useless skill that only gets an outing once a year. I don't have access to palms by myself; whichever parish I'm folding them for provides the palms, and I'm usually given a meal by means of payment. I really enjoy folding the crosses, it's just quiet and meditative and prayerful, so I don't really expect payment. How much would people expect to pay to buy palm crosses?

 

[Paidiske]

To be honest, I'm not sure what the going rate is. One of my parish council members has organised them before, I'll try to remember to ask.

Catholics buy their ash? Why? Surely making your own is simple and cheap? Or do they have some sacred production ritual or something?

 

[Tigger45]

The majority of churches I’ve attended didn’t have prefolded palm crosses.

 

[Rachel96]

Catholics buy their ash? Why? Surely making your own is simple and cheap? Or do they have some sacred production ritual or something?

I have no idea. That was basically my reaction, too. It may not be all Catholics - I don't have much long-term exposure to Catholics aside from at university (everyone shares the same chaplaincy facilities), and they told me they bought their ash. Since the crosses pictured in my opening post are for them and I've made their crosses for the last two years as well, I have no idea why they don't use the crosses. It could conceivably be that it's just them because there's no guarantee you'll have the same people from one year to the next, but (a) if people are in the habit of saving their crosses for ashes, they'll bring them with when they move to university, and (b) the priest/chaplain and lay chaplain seemed honestly puzzled when I suggested the palm crosses and Ash Wednesday ash were related concepts.

As far as I'm aware, there is a special mini service/ prayer thing used by Anglicans when burning the crosses. One Anglican parish I was in had a Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner and incorporated the palm-burning into the evening's proceedings, as a short service at the beginning. Since Catholics seem to have a "rubric" for literally EVERYTHING, I would completely expect there to be prayers and such for making ash, but I still don't see why it can't be done in the parish.

 

[Rachel96]

The majority of churches I’ve attended didn’t have prefolded palm crosses.

This makes me really wonder if it's a regional thing. Paidiske and I are both in Australia; the three people in the thread so far who have said they normally don't get them pre-folded have been in the US.

 

[Paidiske]

I've come across one parish which used to have a shriving/palm cross burning ritual alongside pancakes (this one, actually; but I don't do it any more because it felt like anticipating Ash Wednesday to some extent). Everywhere else I've been, the ash production was something the priest just did quietly sometime before Ash Wednesday services.

Pro tip: palm crosses burn much better if you spray them with a bit of olive oil first...