Palm Sunday

On Sunday, March 21, 2027, Palm Sunday remembers Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and opens Holy Week. Crowds once greeted him waving palm branches and crying 'Hosanna,' and congregations still receive blessed palms in services around the world.

MAR21

Sunday, March 21Every year on March 21

days to go

Roots: Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and it marks the beginning of Holy Week.
Hashtag: #PalmSunday

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3 ways to celebrate

AT CHURCH

Attend a Palm Sunday Service

Receive a blessed palm and join your congregation in remembering the entry into Jerusalem as Holy Week begins.

AT CHURCH

Join the Procession

Many churches process with singing and waving palms. Walking with others is a simple, joyful way to enter into the story.

AT HOME

Read the Gospel Account

Read the story of the entry into Jerusalem at home, and sit with both the hosannas and the suffering that follows in Holy Week.

Plan ahead

Palm Sunday is observed on March 21 every year. Here is where it lands for the next ten years, handy for planners, marketers and party people.

2026Sat, Mar 21this year

2027Sun, Mar 21

2028Tue, Mar 21

2029Wed, Mar 21

2030Thu, Mar 21

2031Fri, Mar 21

2032Sun, Mar 21

2033Mon, Mar 21

2034Tue, Mar 21

2035Wed, Mar 21

2036Fri, Mar 21

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Fast facts

Palms have symbolized victory and joy since the crowds waved them and cried 'Hosanna,' a Hebrew cry meaning 'Save us, we pray.'

The day is also called Passion Sunday, because the Gospel readings at services recount Christ's suffering in the days that follow his entry.

The story

Palm Sunday tells the story of a king arriving in humility. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a humble donkey, a deliberate choice that echoed ancient prophecies, arriving not as a conquering king on a warhorse but as the Prince of Peace.

Read the full story

The crowds welcomed him with joy. They spread their cloaks on the road before him and waved palm branches, traditional symbols of victory, peace, and triumph, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' Hosanna is a Hebrew cry meaning 'Save us, we pray.'

At Palm Sunday services, congregations receive blessed palm leaves, often folded into small crosses, and many churches hold processions with singing and waving palms. Yet the day also turns toward sorrow: it is also called Passion Sunday, because the readings recount Christ's suffering in the days that follow his entry into Jerusalem.

The palms of this day reach into the next year. They are traditionally kept and burned to make the ashes used on Ash Wednesday the following year, linking the welcome of Holy Week to the repentance of Lent.