It's actually called "Domingo de Ramos" here and local folks traditionally carry ramos made of laurel and olive branches. Laurels grow wild here and a lot of people have planted olive trees. Marivi and I cut these laurel saplings in the woods next to our house. The olive branches, which were given to us by a friend in town, are tied to the laurels, but they're not very visible in the picture. In parts of Spain where palm trees are more common they carry palm fronds but the name of the day is the same.

According to tradition, the priest blessed the ramos during the day's Mass and then folks take them home. During the rest of the year the laurels can be used in recipes calling for bay leaves. When it comes time to dispose of the ramos, the tradition requires that they be burned.