Palm Sunday 2026

When Is Palm Sunday in 2026?

In 2026, Palm Sunday falls on March 29. The observance lasts 1 day. Because Palm Sunday follows a Sunday before Easter; 6th Sunday of Lent; start of Holy Week, the exact Gregorian date shifts each year. Western Palm Sunday follows the Gregorian computus; Orthodox Palm Sunday follows the Julian computus and the Orthodox Holy Week, typically later in spring. Since Palm Sunday's date changes from year to year, here are the dates for the next five years so you can plan ahead: Year Date 2026 March 29 2027 March 21 2028 April 9 2029 March 25 2030 April 14

What Time Does Palm Sunday Start in Your Time Zone?

Palm Sunday falls on the Sunday before Easter — exactly seven days before Easter Sunday. In 2026, Palm Sunday falls on March 29 (Western Christianity) and April 5 (Eastern Orthodoxy, depending on the date of Orthodox Easter). Because Palm Sunday is always a Sunday, it is timezone-independent in the sense that Sunday is Sunday everywhere — but the actual date varies by year based on the Easter calculation. The processions on Palm Sunday morning occur at different clock times in different time zones, but on the same day. A Catholic church in Manila might hold its procession at 9 AM local time (1 AM UTC), while a Catholic church in Los Angeles holds its procession at 11 AM local time (6 PM UTC) — meaning the Manila procession occurs before the Los Angeles one, even though they're both on Palm Sunday morning. The table below shows the observance date for Palm Sunday in major time zones around the world: Location Observance Date Time Zone New York, USA March 29 EST/EDT (UTC-5/-4) London, UK March 29 GMT/BST (UTC+0/+1) New Delhi, India March 29 IST (UTC+5:30) Sydney, Australia March 29 AEST/AEDT (UTC+10/+11) Dubai, UAE March 29 GST (UTC+4)

The Story Behind Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, marking the beginning of Holy Week — the most solemn week of the Christian liturgical year. The day commemorates Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when crowds greeted him by waving palm branches and laying them on the road before him, shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The event is described in all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and is one of the few events in Jesus's life recorded by all the Gospel writers. The historical context: Jesus had been traveling and teaching in the regions around Jerusalem for several years, and his reputation had spread. As the Jewish festival of Passover approached, he traveled to Jerusalem with his disciples. He entered the city riding on a donkey — fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah ("See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey") — and was greeted by crowds who had heard of his miracles, particularly the raising of Lazarus. The palm branches were a symbol of Jewish nationalism and victory, and the crowd's welcome was a political as well as a religious act, acknowledging Jesus as a potential messiah who might overthrow Roman rule. The triumph of Palm Sunday sets up the tragedy of Good Friday. The same crowds who hailed Jesus on Sunday would, according to the Gospels, call for his crucifixion five days later. The liturgical observation of Palm Sunday captures this dramatic arc: the day begins with joyous processions and the waving of palms, then shifts to the reading of the Passion narrative — the account of Jesus's trial, suffering, and death — creating an emotional whiplash that defines Holy Week.

How Palm Sunday Is Celebrated

Palm Sunday services begin with a procession. Worshippers gather outside the church (or in a vestibule), where the priest blesses palm branches (or, in some regions, olive branches, willow branches, or other local greenery) with holy water and incense. The congregation then processes into the church, waving the branches and singing hymns — most commonly "All Glory, Laud, and Honor" in English, or the Latin hymn "Gloria, laus et honor." The procession recalls Jesus's entry into Jerusalem and is one of the most visually distinctive liturgical moments of the year. After the procession, the service takes a more solemn turn. The Gospel reading is the Passion narrative — the account of Jesus's arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death — which is the longest Gospel reading of the year. In many churches, the Passion is read dramatically, with different readers taking the roles of Jesus, Pilate, the narrator, and the crowd. The congregation often reads the part of the crowd, calling out "Crucify him!" — a participatory act that drives home the dramatic reversal from the joyous procession to the crucifixion. Palm branches are taken home by worshippers and often kept throughout the year, sometimes placed behind crucifixes or religious pictures. The palms from one year's Palm Sunday are burned to create the ashes for the next year's Ash Wednesday — a beautiful liturgical cycle that connects the beginning of Lent to the beginning of Holy Week. In some traditions, the palms are woven into intricate crosses or other shapes. In Elche, Spain — home to the largest palm grove in Europe — palm branches are woven and tied into elaborate designs for Palm Sunday processions, a craft tradition dating back centuries. Why Does Palm Sunday Move Every Year? Palm Sunday's date is calculated by subtracting 7 days from Easter Sunday. Since Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21, Palm Sunday is the Sunday in that same calculation. The earliest possible Palm Sunday is March 15; the latest is April 18. In 2026, Palm Sunday is March 29, making it a fairly typical year.

Calendar Calculation

Sunday before Easter; 6th Sunday of Lent; start of Holy Week

Did You Know? Palm Sunday Facts & Trivia

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when crowds greeted him by waving palm branches and laying them on the road before him, shouting "Hosanna!" The event is described in all four Gospels — one of the few events in Jesus's life recorded by all the Gospel writers. The palms from one year's Palm Sunday are burned to create the ashes for the next year's Ash Wednesday — a beautiful liturgical cycle that connects the beginning of Lent to the beginning of Holy Week. Many churches save the palms throughout the year, often placing them behind crucifixes or religious pictures. In Elche, Spain — home to the largest palm grove in Europe — palm branches are woven and tied into elaborate designs for Palm Sunday processions, a craft tradition dating back centuries. The city's white palm craft is recognized as a Site of Cultural Interest by the Spanish government. The triumph of Palm Sunday sets up the tragedy of Good Friday. The same crowds who hailed Jesus on Sunday would, according to the Gospels, call for his crucifixion five days later. The liturgical observation of Palm Sunday captures this dramatic arc: the day begins with joyous processions and the waving of palms, then shifts to the reading of the Passion narrative.