Vrbica has a special place as a holiday for children, who play a major role in worship on this day. Thus, according to custom, there was a festive celebration on Lazarus Saturday and tonight in the Church of St. Nicholas in the Old Town of Kotor, where numerous children with their parents and relatives, adorned with olive branches and bells,  attended the service, and then participated in the procession, while the SPD Jedinstvo children's choir gave a special tone to the holiday.
The Saturday before the Palm Sunday (which always falls on the sixth Sunday of Lent) is dedicated to the memory of the resurrection of the four-day-old Lazarus, and the entry of Christ into Jerusalem, where the children solemnly welcomed and greeted Him.
“It is no coincidence that children play a major role in worship,” said priest Vojislav Mijatović, addressing the faithful.
He reminds us that in the Gospel of Matthew we can read what happened on this day in Jerusalem.
“We can see how the children welcomed the Lord at the entrance to Jerusalem and paved His way with palm and olive branches and greeted Him with a great, joyful greeting: “Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” That is why children, especially on this day, participate in the service because this is their holiday. The Church sees in this a very great message and sees a spiritual meaning of the children’s greeting and welcoming Christ. The Church tells us, in fact, the Lord Himself, who is worthy to welcome and receive Christ. Who else but children who are pure in heart and mind. So we too, today, are trying to welcome and do the same thing as those children did 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. That is why the Willow Festival is an opportunity for parents to bring their children to church, not only to honor some kind of folk or church custom, but precisely because it is "Children's Day and that on that day, on this day, children embellish this service with those little bells, with palm and olive branches. And it is called Vrbica only for this reason, that in some parts of our country, let's say, where there are no palm branches and olive branches, a willow branch is taken and that is why the name of this holiday remained - Vrbica", said Fr. Vojislav
He emphasizes that the essence of this holiday is not only in respecting formal customs but in its spiritual message.
“What is the spiritual lesson of this holiday? The Resurrection of Lazarus visits us and tells us how every person should hear that voice of Christ Who says to Lazarus: “Lazarus, come out of the grave”. It tells us that every person should hear that voice of Christ. He tells Lazarus to come out of the grave. What is that grave in fact today? It is our comfort, all that separates us from God and all that prevents us from being God’s people in the true sense. That is why the Lazarus Sabbath should have great significance for each of us. Because with this the Lord does not call only Lazarus on this day, but He calls each of us, saying “come out”, that is, “arise”. Rise from your comfort, rise from the sin you were in and set out on the path of the Resurrection of Christ. Because we know that the Resurrection of Christ is approaching and that this holiday is actually a bridge between Holy Lent and Passion Sunday. With this the Lord wanted to tell us that in fact there can be no resurrection without Golgotha ​​and suffering,” said Fr. Vojislav,
He wished the children and all those present that the holiday of Vrbica would be a joy for them.
“That, following the example of those children in Jerusalem, we too, with our palm and olive branches, greet and welcome Christ with the greeting “Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”, amen”, said Fr. Vojislav, after which a procession was organized around the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Luke.