View source for Palm Sunday

{{Short description|Christian moveable feast preceding Easter}}
{{For|the book|Palm Sunday (book){{!}}''Palm Sunday'' (book)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = Palm Sunday
| type          = Christian
| image         = Assisi-frescoes-entry-into-jerusalem-pietro lorenzetti.jpg
| imagesize     = 
| caption       = Entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem (1320) by [[Pietro Lorenzetti]]: entering the city on a donkey symbolizes arrival in peace rather than as a war-waging king arriving on a horse.<ref name=Allison120 >''Matthew 19–28'' by William David Davies, Dale C. Allison 2004 {{ISBN|0-567-08375-6}} p. 120</ref><ref name=MacArthur17 >''John 12–21'' by John MacArthur 2008 {{ISBN|978-0-8024-0824-2}} pp. 17–18</ref>
| official_name = 
| nickname      = Sixth Sunday of Lent, Palm and Passion Sunday
| observedby    = Christians
| litcolor      = 
| longtype      = 
| significance  = commemorates Christ's [[triumphal entry into Jerusalem]]; first day in [[Holy Week]]
| begins        = 
| ends          = 
| date          = [[Moveable feast]], [[Sunday]] before [[Easter]]
| date{{LASTYEAR}} = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Moveable date |holiday=Palm Sunday |format=infobox |year={{LASTYEAR}}}} (Western)
| {{Moveable date |holiday=Palm Sunday (Eastern) |format=infobox |year={{LASTYEAR}}}} (Eastern) }}
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Moveable date |holiday=Palm Sunday |format=infobox |year={{CURRENTYEAR}} |cite=y}} (Western)
| {{Moveable date |holiday=Palm Sunday (Eastern) |format=infobox |year={{CURRENTYEAR}}}} (Eastern) }}
| date{{NEXTYEAR}} = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Moveable date |holiday=Palm Sunday |format=infobox |year={{NEXTYEAR}}}} (Western)
| {{Moveable date |holiday=Palm Sunday (Eastern) |format=infobox |year={{NEXTYEAR}}}} (Eastern) }}
| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}} = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Moveable date |holiday=Palm Sunday |format=infobox |year={{NEXTYEAR|2}}}} (Western)
| {{Moveable date |holiday=Palm Sunday (Eastern) |format=infobox |year={{NEXTYEAR|2}}}} (Eastern) }}
| scheduling    = 
| duration      = 
| frequency     = 
| celebrations  = 
| observances   = Church attendance, blessing and distribution of palms, church processions, weaving palm crosses, hanging palm branches obtained from church liturgies behind Christian artwork or placing palm branches in Bibles and daily devotional books
| relatedto     = 
}}

'''Palm Sunday''' is the Christian [[moveable feast]] that falls on the [[Sunday]] before [[Easter]]. The feast commemorates Christ's [[triumphal entry into Jerusalem]], an event mentioned in each of the four [[canonical Gospels]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Mark|11:1-11|RSV}},  
{{bibleverse|Matthew|21:1-11|RSV}}, {{bibleverse|Luke|19:28–44|RSV}}, and {{bibleverse|John|12:12–19|RSV}}.</ref> Its name originates from the [[palm branch]]es waved by the crowd to greet and honor [[Jesus Christ]] as he entered the city. Palm Sunday marks the first day of [[Holy Week]]; in [[Western Christianity]], this is the beginning of the last week of the solemn season of [[Lent]], preceding [[Eastertide]],<ref name="Cooper2013">{{cite book|last=Cooper|first=J.C.|title=Dictionary of Christianity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZC3AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA124|access-date=25 April 2014|date=23 October 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134265466|page=124|quote=Holy Week. The last week in LENT. It begins on PALM SUNDAY; the fourth day is called SPY WEDNESDAY; the fifth is MAUNDY THURSDAY; the sixth is GOOD FRIDAY; and the last 'Holy Saturday', or the 'Great Sabbath'.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705063330/http://books.google.com/books?id=6ZC3AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA124|archive-date=5 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Brewer1896">{{cite book|last=Brewer|first=Ebenezer Cobham|title=The Historic Notebook: With an Appendix of Battles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YphAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA669|access-date=25 April 2014|year=1896|publisher=J. B. Lippincott|page=669|quote=The last seven days of this period constitute Holy Week. The first day of Holy Week is Palm Sunday, the fourth day is Spy Wednesday, the fifth Maundy Thursday, the sixth Good Friday, and the last Holy Saturday or the Great Sabbath.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705063402/http://books.google.com/books?id=YphAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA669|archive-date=5 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Blackwell2009">{{cite book |last1=Blackwell |first1=Amy Hackney |title=Lent, Yom Kippur, and Other Atonement Days |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-1-4381-2796-5 |pages=15–16 |language=en |quote=The last week of Lent is called ''Holy Week'' in the Western Churches, and ''Great and Holy Week'' in the Eastern. During this week, believers remember the events in the last week of Jesus' life. These include Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and his suffering on the way to crucifixion, which are sometimes called the "Passion of Jesus Christ," or "Passion of Christ."}}</ref><ref name="Melton2011">{{cite book |last1=Melton |first1=J. Gordon |title=Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations [2 volumes]|date=13 September 2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-206-7 |page=527 |language=en |quote=''Lent (Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday)'': The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and lasts until the final Saturday before Easter, Holy Saturday. It includes "Holy Week," the week before Easter. For six weeks preceding Easter, it is a time of penitential prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to prepare for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. This season of Lent originally was also a time of preparation for baptismal candidates and those separated from the Church who were rejoining the community. Holy Week, the last week of Lent, commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ. It covers the events of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the last supper, the arrest, and his death by crucifixion. Beginning with the sixth Sunday of Lent, Holy Week includes Palm Sunday, Spy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.}}</ref> while in [[Eastern Christianity]], Holy Week commences after the conclusion of [[Great Lent]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Overview of Holy Week in the Orthodox Church |url=https://www.greekboston.com/religion/orthodox-holy-week/ |publisher=Greek Boston |access-date=2 April 2023 |language=English |date=24 March 2010 |quote=Holy Week in the Orthodox Church (for Greeks, Russians and any other nationalities that are Orthodox Christian) takes place in the week after Great Lent and just before Pascha, or Orthodox Easter. The last day of lent is the Saturday of Lazarus, which celebrates when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Holy Week officially begins with Palm Sunday and follows the last week of Christ’s life before His death and resurrection.}}</ref>

In most [[Christian rite]]s, Palm Sunday is celebrated by the blessing and distribution of palm branches (or the branches of other native trees), representing the palm branches that the crowd scattered before Christ as he rode into [[Jerusalem]]. These palms are sometimes woven into [[Christian cross|crosses]]. The difficulty of procuring palms in unfavorable climates led to the substitution of branches of native trees, including [[Buxus sempervirens|box]], [[olive]], [[willow]], and [[taxus|yew]].

Many churches of mainstream [[Christian denominations]], including the Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican, Moravian, and Reformed traditions, distribute palm branches to their congregations during their Palm Sunday liturgies. Christians take these palms, which are often blessed by clergy, to their homes, where they hang them alongside [[Christian art]] (especially [[Christian cross|crosses]] and [[crucifix]]es) or keep them in their Bibles and [[Daily devotional|daily devotional books]].<ref name="Kirk2018">{{cite web |last1=Kirk |first1=Lisa |title=Ideas for Displaying Palm Sunday Palms Around Your Home |url=https://blessedisshe.net/blog/palm-sunday-palms/ |publisher=Blessed Is She |access-date=4 April 2020 |language=en |date=25 March 2018}}</ref> In the days preceding the next year's Lent, known as [[Carnival]] or Shrovetide, churches often place a basket in their [[narthex]] to collect these palms, which are then ritually burned on [[Shrove Tuesday]] to make the ashes to be used on the following day, [[Ash Wednesday]], which is the first day of Lent.<ref name="GEC2018">{{cite web |title=This Sunday at Grace: February 4, 2018 |work=Grace Episcopal Church |url=https://www.gracealex.org/news/sunday-grace-february-4-2018/ |access-date=4 April 2020 |language=en |date=3 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shrove Tuesday |url=https://www.timesreporter.com/news/20200218/good-day |publisher=[[The Times-Reporter]] |access-date=4 April 2020 |language=en |date=18 February 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806074002/https://www.timesreporter.com/news/20200218/good-day |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Biblical basis and symbolism==
{{Gospel Jesus}}
{{Main|Triumphal entry into Jerusalem}}
[[File:Entry into Jerusalem (Annunciation Cathedral in Moscow).jpg|left|thumb|upright|''[[Triumphal entry into Jerusalem]]'', Russian icon ([[Cathedral of the Annunciation, Moscow]])]]

In the accounts of the four [[canonical Gospel]]s, Christ's [[triumphal entry into Jerusalem]] takes place a week before his [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]].<ref name=Boring256 >''The people's New Testament commentary'' by M. Eugene Boring, Fred B. Craddock 2004 {{ISBN|0-664-22754-6}} pp. 256–258</ref><ref name=CEvans381>''The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Matthew–Luke, Volume 1'' by Craig A. Evans 2003 {{ISBN|0-7814-3868-3}} pp. 381–395</ref><ref name=M133 >''The Synoptics: Matthew, Mark, Luke'' by Ján Majerník, Joseph Ponessa, Laurie Watson Manhardt 2005 {{ISBN|1-931018-31-6}} pp. 133–134</ref><ref name=CAEvans114 >''The Bible knowledge background commentary: John's Gospel, Hebrews–Revelation'' by Craig A. Evans {{ISBN|0-7814-4228-1}} pp. 114–118</ref> Only the Gospel<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#21:1|Matthew 21:1–11]], [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Mark#11:1|Mark 11:1–11]], [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#19:28|Luke 19:28–44]], [[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#12:1|John 12:1–19]]</ref> of John shows a timeline of the event, dated six days before the [[Passover]].<ref>{{bibleverse||John|12:1|KJV}}</ref>

The [[raising of Lazarus]] is mentioned only by the Gospel of John, in the previous chapter. The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]] which follows the [[Byzantine Rite]], commemorate it on [[Lazarus Saturday]], following the text of the Gospel. In fact, the Jewish calendar dates begin at [[sunset|sundown]] of the night beforehand, and conclude at [[dusk|nightfall]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/671901/jewish/When-Is-Passover-in-2018-2019-2020-and-2021.htm|language = en|title= When Is Passover in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021?|access-date= 2 April 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180318234847/https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/671901/jewish/When-Is-Passover-in-2018-2019-2020-and-2021.htm|archive-date= 18 March 2018}}</ref>

The [[Gospel of Matthew]] states that this happened that the prophecy might be fulfilled of: Zechariah 9:9<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Zechariah#9:9|Zechariah 9:9]]</ref> "The Coming of Zion's King – See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey".<ref>[[Gospel of Matthew]] 21:4-5</ref> It suggests that Jesus was declaring he was the [[Jesus, King of the Jews|King of Israel]].

According to the Gospels, Jesus Christ rode on a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there laid down their cloaks and small branches of trees in front of him, singing part of Psalm 118: 25–26<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Psalm#118:25|Psalm 118: 25–26]]</ref> – Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.<ref name="MacArthur17"/><ref name=Boring256 /><ref name=CEvans381 /><ref name=M133 />

The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, unlike the horse which is the animal of war.<ref name="Allison120"/> A king would have ridden a horse when he was bent on war and ridden a donkey to symbolize his arrival in peace. Christ's entry to Jerusalem would have thus symbolized his entry as the [[Jesus|Prince of Peace]], not as a war-waging king.<ref name=Allison120 /><ref name=MacArthur17 /> Thus there have been two different meanings (or more levels of [[biblical hermeneutics]]): an historical meaning, truly happening according to the Gospels, and a secondary meaning in the symbolism.

[[File:Enrique Simonet - Flevit super illam 1892.jpg|thumb|upright|left|"Flevit super illam" (He wept over it); by [[Enrique Simonet]], 1892]]
In [[Luke 19#Verses 41–44|Luke 19:41]] as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, he looks at the city and weeps over it (an event known as ''Flevit super illam'' in [[Latin language|Latin]]), foretelling his coming Passion and the suffering that awaits the city in the events of the destruction of the [[Second Temple]].<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Luke#19:41|Luke 19:41]]</ref>

In many lands in the ancient [[Near East]], it was customary to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honour. The [[Hebrew Bible]]<ref>{{bibleverse||2 Kings|9:13|KJV}}</ref> reports that [[Jehu]], son of [[Jehoshaphat]], was treated this way. Both the [[Synoptic Gospels]] and the [[Gospel of John]] report that people gave Jesus this form of honour. In the synoptics the people are described as laying their garments and cut [[Juncus|rushes]] on the street, whereas John specifies fronds of palm (Greek ''phoinix)''. In Jewish tradition, the palm is one of the [[Four Species]] carried for [[Sukkot]], as prescribed for rejoicing in Leviticus 23:40.<ref>{{bibleverse||Leviticus|23:40}}</ref>

In the [[Greco-Roman world|Greco-Roman culture]] of the [[Roman Empire]], which strongly influenced Christian tradition, the [[palm branch (symbol)|palm branch was a symbol]] of triumph and victory. It became the most common attribute of the [[Nike (mythology)|goddess Nike]] or [[Victoria (mythology)|Victoria]].<ref>Reidar Hvalvik, "Christ Proclaiming His Law to the Apostles: The ''Traditio Legis''-Motif in Early Christian Art and Literature," in ''The New Testament and Early Christian Literature in Greco-Roman Context: Studies in Honor of David E. Aune'' (Brill, 2006), p. 432</ref><ref name="Vioque">{{cite book| first = Guillermo Galán | last = Vioque | title = Martial, Book VII: A Commentary | translator = J.J. Zoltowski | publisher = Brill | year = 2002 | pages = 61, 206, 411 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book| first = Anna | last = Clark | title = Divine Qualities: Cult and Community in Republican Rome | url = https://archive.org/details/divinequalitiesc00clar | url-access = limited | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2007 | page = [https://archive.org/details/divinequalitiesc00clar/page/n176 162] | isbn =  978-0199226825}}</ref> For contemporary Roman observers, the procession would have evoked the [[Roman triumph]],<ref>Warren W. Wiersbe, ''The Wiersbe Bible Commentary'' (David C. Cook, 2007), p. 272.</ref> when the ''triumphator'' laid down his arms and wore the [[toga]], the civilian garment of peace that might be ornamented with emblems of the palm.{{sfn|Vioque|2002|p=61 }}

Although the [[Epistles of Paul]] refer to Jesus as "triumphing", the entry into Jerusalem may not have been regularly pictured as a triumphal procession in this sense before the 13th century.<ref>John Pairman Brown, ''Israel and Hellas'' (De Gruyter, 2000), vol. 2, pp.&nbsp;254ff.</ref> In [[ancient Egyptian religion]], the palm was carried in funeral processions and represented eternal life. The [[martyr's palm]] was later used as a symbol of Christian martyrs and their spiritual victory or triumph over death.<ref>{{cite book | first1 =  Fernando  | last1 = Lanzi | first2 = Gioia | last2 = Lanzi | translator = Matthew J. O'Connell| title = Saints and Their Symbols: Recognizing Saints in Art and in Popular Images | publisher = Liturgical Press | year = 2004 | isbn =978-0814629703   | page = 25}}</ref> In Revelation 7:9, the white-clad multitude stand before the throne and [[Lamb of God|Lamb]] holding palm branches.<ref>{{bibleverse||Revelation|7:9}}</ref>

==Observance in the liturgy==
{{Dates for Palm Sunday}}

===Eastern and Oriental Christianity===
[[File:Palm-sunday.jpg|thumb|upright|Small crosses woven from blessed palms are often distributed at churches on Palm Sunday.]]

Palm Sunday, or the ''Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem'' as it may be called in [[Orthodoxy#Christianity|Orthodox Churches]], is one of the [[Twelve Great Feasts]] of the [[liturgical year]]. The day before Palm Sunday, [[Lazarus Saturday]], believers often prepare palm fronds by knotting them into crosses in preparation for the procession on Sunday. The [[antependia|hangings]] and [[vestments]] in the church are changed to a festive color – most commonly green.

The [[Troparion]] of the Feast (a short hymn) indicates that the resurrection of [[Lazarus of Bethany|Lazarus]] is a prefiguration of Christ's Resurrection:

{{Blockquote|<poem>O Christ our God
When Thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead before Thy Passion,
Thou didst confirm the resurrection of the universe.
Wherefore, we, like children,
carry the banner of triumph and victory,
and we cry to Thee, O Conqueror of death,
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He that cometh
in the Name of the Lord.</poem>}}

In the [[Russian Orthodox Church]], [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)|Ukrainian Orthodox Church]], [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church|Ukrainian Catholic Church]], [[Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church|Ruthenian Catholic Church]], [[Poland|Polish]], [[Bavaria]]n and [[Austria]]n [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]], and various other [[Eastern Europe]]an peoples, the custom developed of using [[pussy willow]] and other twigs like box tree instead of palm fronds because the latter are not readily available that far north. There is no canonical requirement as to what kind of branches must be used, so some Orthodox believers use [[olive]] branches.

Whatever the kind, these branches are [[blessing|blessed]] and distributed together with candles either during the [[All-Night Vigil]] on the Eve of the Feast (Saturday night), or before the [[Divine Liturgy]] on Sunday morning. The [[Great Entrance]] of the Divine Liturgy commemorates the "Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem", so the meaningfulness of this moment is punctuated on Palm Sunday as everyone stands, holding their branches and lit candles. The faithful take these branches and candles home with them after the liturgy, and keep them in their [[icon corner]] as an ''evloghia'' (blessing).

In Russia, [[donkey walk]] processions took place in different cities, but most importantly in [[Novgorod]] and, from 1558 until 1693, in Moscow. These were prominently featured in testimonies by foreign witnesses and mentioned in contemporary Western maps of the city. The [[Patriarch of Moscow]], representing Christ, rode on a "donkey", actually a horse draped in white cloth. The [[Tsar of Russia]] humbly led the procession on foot. Originally, Moscow processions began inside the [[Moscow Kremlin|Kremlin]] and terminated at Trinity Church, now known as [[Saint Basil's Cathedral]]. In 1658 [[Patriarch Nikon]] reversed the order of procession. [[Peter I of Russia|Peter I]] in the 1720s, as a part of his [[Church reform of Peter I|nationalisation of the church]], terminated the custom. It has been occasionally recreated in the 21st century.

In [[Oriental Orthodox]] churches, palm fronds are distributed at the front of the church at the sanctuary steps. In India the sanctuary itself is strewn with marigolds, and the congregation proceeds through and outside the church.

<gallery widths="200" heights="200" perrow="5" caption="Palm Sunday in Eastern and Oriental Christianity">
File:Wjatscheslaw Grigorjewitsch Schwarz 002.jpg|Palm Sunday procession, Moscow, with Tsar [[Alexis of Russia|Alexei Michaelovich]] (painting by [[Vyacheslav Schwarz]], 1865)
File:Engraving of Red Square & Kremlin (Moscow, 1654).jpg|The Palm procession in Moscow, 1654, showing the original rite of the Russian church with a [[donkey walk]]
File:Palm sunday.JPG|[[Oriental Orthodox|Orthodox]] congregation in India collects palm fronds for [[procession]]: men on left of sanctuary in the photo; women collecting fronds on right of sanctuary, outside photo.
File:Цвети, улазак Христа у Јерусалим (Church fresco - Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Bitola).jpg|[[Eastern Orthodox]] fresco in Nativity of the Theotokos Church, [[Bitola]], [[Republic of North Macedonia]]
</gallery>

===Western Christianity===
[[File:Procesión de las Palmas - Toledo, España - 2010.jpg|thumb|Palm sunday procession in Toledo, Spain]]
[[File:Palmsonntag in Osttimor 2019.jpg|thumb|Palm Sunday in [[East Timor]]]]
[[File:Le palme.jpg|thumb|Palm Sunday in [[Avetrana]], Italy]]

In ancient times, palm branches symbolized goodness and victory. They were often depicted on coins and important buildings. Solomon had palm branches carved into the walls and doors of the temple.<ref>{{bibleverse||1 Kings|6:29|KJV}}</ref> Again at the end of the Bible, people from every nation raise palm branches to honor Jesus.<ref>{{bibleverse||Revelation|7:9|KJV}}</ref>

Palm Sunday commemorates the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem,<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|21:1-9|KJV}}</ref> during which palm branches were placed in his path, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his crucifixion on [[Good Friday]]. It thus marks the beginning of [[Holy Week]], the final week of Lent.

In churches of many [[Christian denomination]]s, members of the congregation, oftentimes children, are given palms that they carry as they walk in a procession around the inside of the church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/palm-sunday-marks-start-of-holy-week.html|title=Palm Sunday Marks Start of Holy Week|first1=Eric|last1=Young|website=The Christian Post|date=28 March 2010|language=en|access-date=2019-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030152519/https://www.christianpost.com/news/palm-sunday-marks-start-of-holy-week.html|archive-date=30 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.womansday.com/life/a26557005/when-is-palm-sunday/|title=When Is Palm Sunday? Here's Everything You Need to Know|last=Ballard|first=Jamie|date=2019-03-04|website=Woman's Day|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030152520/https://www.womansday.com/life/a26557005/when-is-palm-sunday/|archive-date=30 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[Church of Pakistan]], a [[United and uniting churches|united Protestant Church]], the faithful on Palm Sunday carry palm branches into the church as they sing Psalm 24.<ref>{{bibleverse||Psalms|24|KJV}}</ref> A robust hymnody has developed for Palm Sunday, including "[[Jeanette Threlfall|Hosanna, Loud Hosanna]]", "[[Ride On, Ride On in Majesty!]]", "[[All Glory, Laud and Honour]]", "[[Palms of Victory]]", and "[[Thomas Ravenscroft|Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=10 Palm Sunday Hymns to Start Holy Week |url=https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/palm-sunday-hymns-worship-songs-holy-week.html |publisher=[[Christianity.com]] |access-date=6 January 2025 |language=en |date=19 March 2024}}</ref>

In the [[Roman Catholic Church]], as well as among many [[Lutheran]] and [[Anglican]] congregations, palm fronds (or in colder climates some kind of substitutes) are [[Blessing|blessed]] with [[holy water]] outside the church building (or in cold climates in the [[narthex]] when Easter falls early in the year) in an event called the Blessing of the Palms. A solemn procession of the entire congregation takes place immediately after the blessing of the palms, called the Palm procession.

In the Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions, this feast now coincides with that of [[Passion Sunday]], which is the focus of the [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] which follows the procession. The Catholic Church considers the blessed palms to be [[sacramentals]]. The vestments for the day are deep scarlet red, the colour of blood, indicating the supreme redemptive sacrifice Christ was entering the city to make, to fulfill his passion and resurrection in Jerusalem.

[[File:PalmSunday.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Blessing palms outside an [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church in the United States]]]]
{{Lent_calendar.svg}}
In the Lutheran Churches, as well as in the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]]/Anglican churches, the day is officially called ''The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday''; in practice, though, it is usually termed ''Palm Sunday'' as in the 1928 American [[Book of Common Prayer]] and in earlier Lutheran liturgies and calendars, to avoid undue confusion with the penultimate Sunday of Lent in the traditional calendar, which was ''Passion Sunday''.

In traditional usage of the [[Methodist Church (USA)|Methodist Church]], ''[[Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965)|The Book of Worship for Church and Home]]'' (1965) provides the following [[Collect]] for Palm Sunday:<ref name="BOW1964">{{cite book|title=The Book of Worship for Church and Home: With Orders of Worship, Services for the Administration of the Sacraments and Other Aids to Worship According to the Usages of the Methodist Church|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ckw6vgAACAAJ|access-date=25 March 2017|year=1964|publisher=Methodist Publishing House|language=en|page=101|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612125930/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ckw6vgAACAAJ|archive-date=12 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{blockquote|Almighty and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love toward mankind hast sent thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may both follow the example of his patience and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.<ref name="BOW1964"/>}}

==Customs==
{{Death of Jesus}}
It is customary in many churches for worshippers to receive fresh palm leaves on Palm Sunday. In parts of the world where this has historically been impractical, substitute traditions have arisen.

===Belgium===
In [[Hoegaarden]], one of the last remaining Palm Sunday processions takes place every year. A fellowship of Twelve Apostles carries a wooden statue of Christ around the town, while children go door to door offering the palms ([[Buxus|box]]) for coins.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Festivals of Europe|last=Towers)|first=Cooper, Gordon (Charles Gordon|date=1994|publisher=Omnigraphics|isbn=9780780800052|location=Detroit|oclc=28422673}}</ref>

===Bulgaria===
In [[Bulgaria]], Palm Sunday is known as ''Tsvetnitsa'' ({{lang|bg|tsvete|italic=yes}}, "flower") or ''Vrabnitsa'' (''varba'', "willow"), or [[Flower's Day]].  People with flower-related names (e.g., {{not a typo|Bilyan(a), Liliya, Margarita, Nevena, Ralitsa, Rosa, Temenuzhka, Tsvetan(a), Tsvetelin(a), Tsvetin(a), Tsvetko, Violeta, Yavor, Zdravko, Zjumbjul}}, etc.) celebrate this day as their [[name day]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.plovdivguide.com/_m1703/Traditions-Namedays/TSVETNITSA---VRUBNITSA-Palm-Sunday----no-fixed-date-518 |title=Palm Sunday |access-date=27 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406160902/http://www.plovdivguide.com/_m1703/Traditions-Namedays/TSVETNITSA---VRUBNITSA-Palm-Sunday----no-fixed-date-518 |archive-date=6 April 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===England===
In the 15th through the 17th centuries in England, Palm Sunday was frequently marked by the burning of [[Jack o' Lent]] figures. This was a straw effigy which would be stoned and abused on Ash Wednesday, and kept in the parish for burning on Palm Sunday. The symbolism was believed to be a kind of revenge on [[Judas Iscariot]], who had betrayed Christ. The effigy could also have represented the hated figure of Winter, whose destruction prepares the way for Spring.<ref>Frood & Graves p.&nbsp;10</ref>

===Egypt and Ethiopia===
In the [[Coptic Orthodox Church]] and [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Orthodox]] [[Ethiopia]], this holiday is referred to as Hosanna. Palm leaves will be blessed and distributed, they are used to create crucifixes, rings and other ornaments.

===Finland===
[[File:Easter witches in Nissilä IM5293 C.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Easter witches in Finland]]
In [[Finland]], it is popular for children to dress up as Easter witches and go door to door in neighborhoods and trade decorated [[pussy willow]] branches for coins and candy. This is an old [[Karelia]]n custom called ''[[virpominen]]''.

It is customary for the children to chant, with some variation, "Virvon varvon tuoreeks, terveeks, tulevaks vuodeks, vitsa sulle, palkka mulle!"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vartsi.net/2016/03/21/virvon-varvon-tuoreeks-terveeks-2/ |title=Virvon varvon tuoreeks terveeks… |last=Väänänen |first=Vuokko |date=21 March 2016 |website=Värtsilän verkkolehti |access-date=25 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926143600/http://www.vartsi.net/2016/03/21/virvon-varvon-tuoreeks-terveeks-2/ |archive-date=26 September 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> which very roughly translates as "I'm wishing you a fresh, healthy upcoming year, a branch for you, a prize for me!" The chant has been translated in [[Juha Vuorinen]]'s novel ''Totally Smashed!'' as "Willow switch, I'm the Easter witch! I wish you health and a love that's rich! From me I bring some luck today, for this branch what will you pay?"<ref>{{Cite book |last= Vuorinen|first= Juha |translator= Leonard Pearl|year= 2017|title= Totally Smashed!|publisher= Diktaatori|page= 165|isbn= 978-9525474756}}</ref>

===Germany===
[[File:Palmesel MNMA Cl23799.jpg|thumb|upright|Wooden Palmesel]]

In some regions of Germany, long stakes with pussy willow, box and other twigs are taken for the Palm procession rather than [[nosegays]]. In some Southern regions either the priest leads the palm procession, riding on a donkey, or a wooden donkey (called ''Palmesel'') with a figure of Christ is traditionally trundled with the procession of the faithful.

===India===

In most of the Catholic churches in India the palms are blessed by the priest on Palm Sunday and then distributed among the people after the holy mass. There is a tradition of folding palm [[fronds]] into palm crosses, which are kept at the altar till the next [[Ash Wednesday]].

[[File:Marigolds in the sanctuary.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Flowers (in this instance [[Tagetes|marigolds]]) strewn about the sanctuary in an [[Oriental Orthodox]] church in [[Mumbai]], India, on Palm Sunday]]
In the [[South India]]n state of [[Kerala]] (and in [[Indian Orthodox]], [[Church of South India]] (CSI), [[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church]], and [[Syriac Orthodox Church]] (Jacobite) congregations elsewhere in India and throughout the world), flowers are strewn about the sanctuary on Palm Sunday during the reading of the Gospel, at the words uttered by the crowd welcoming Jesus, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who is come and is to come in the name of the Lord God". These words are read to the congregation thrice. The congregation then repeats, "Hosanna!", and the flowers are scattered, a common custom in Indian celebrations. This symbolizes Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
[[File:Palm sunday in Malankara ( 861 X 1080 ).jpg|thumb|upright=1|Palm Sunday in [[Malankara Orthodox Church|Malankara Church]] ([[Oriental Orthodox]]) of [[Kerala]] – People holding tender leaves of coconut palms (kuruthola) and flowers are thrown upwards during Gospel reading]]

Indian Orthodoxy traces its roots to the arrival in India of Saint [[Thomas the Apostle]] (traditionally dated to AD 52) and his evangelism among both the Brahmans of the [[Malabar Coast]] and the ancient Jewish community there. Its rites and ceremonies are Jewish, Indian and Levantine Christian, in origin. In [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]]'s palm leaves are blessed during Palm Sunday ceremony and a [[Procession]] takes place holding the palms.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article1705828.ece |title=National / Kerala : Traditional services mark Palm Sunday |newspaper=The Hindu|date=2011-04-18 |access-date=2012-06-10}}</ref>

===Ireland===
In [[Ireland]]'s cold climate, real palm leaves are generally not available, so [[Taxus baccata|yew]], [[Abies alba|silver fir]], [[Picea abies|spruce]] or [[Cupressus sempervirens|cypress]] are used instead; it is known in [[Irish language|Irish]] as ''Domhnach an Iúir'', "Yew Sunday."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yxzDDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22palm+sunday%22+ireland&pg=PT166|title=English As We Speak It in Ireland|first=P. W.|last=Joyce|date=26 November 2019|publisher=Good Press|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/PalmSunday.html|title=Palm Sunday in old Ireland - World Cultures European|website=www.irishcultureandcustoms.com}}</ref> The historian [[Patrick Weston Joyce]] noted that yew was always called "palm" in his 1830s childhood, and he only later learned the tree's correct name. "Palm" branches were often worn in the [[buttonhole]] or hung on the wall; the second practise is still common, and palm branches are blessed with [[holy water]] at [[Catholic Mass]]es.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thefadingyear.wordpress.com/2021/03/28/irish-folklore-for-palm-sunday-domhnach-an-iuir/|title=Irish Folklore for Palm Sunday – Domhnach an Iúir|first=the Fading|last=Year|date=28 March 2021}}</ref>

In the past in some areas, a palm stem was charred and a cross was marked on eggs set for hatching, while in parts of Counties Galway and Mayo, shredded palm was mixed through the seed grain. The coincidence of Palm Sunday and [[Saint Patrick's Day]] (March 17), "when the [[shamrock]] and the palm are worn together," was said to presage a great event; this last happened in 1940, at the beginning of the [[Second World War]], and will not reoccur until 2391.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aleteia.org/2022/04/09/5-fascinating-irish-palm-sunday-traditions-you-might-not-know-about/|title=5 Fascinating Irish Palm Sunday traditions you might not know about|date=9 April 2022|website=Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture}}</ref>

===Italy===
[[File:Sturno Domenica delle Palme.jpg|thumb|Palm Sunday in [[Sturno]], Italy]]
In [[Italy]], palm leaves are used along with small olive branches, readily available in the Mediterranean climate. These are placed at house entrances (for instance, hanging above the door) to last until the following year's Palm Sunday. For this reason, usually palm leaves are not used whole, due to their size; instead, leaf strips are braided into smaller shapes. Small olive branches are also often used to decorate traditional Easter cakes, along with other symbols of birth, like eggs.

===Latvia===
In Latvia, Palm Sunday is called "Pussy Willow Sunday", and pussy willows – symbolizing new life – are blessed and distributed to the faithful.<ref>{{cite web|website=Mirabilis.ca|url=http://www.mirabilis.ca/archives/002788.html|title=Archives|date=June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027083246/http://www.mirabilis.ca/archives/002788.html|archive-date=27 October 2007}}</ref> Children are often awakened that morning with ritualistic swats of a willow branch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Latvia {{!}} Baltic Tenacity |url=https://u.osu.edu/baltictenacity/latvia/ |access-date=2022-05-16 |website=u.osu.edu}}</ref>

===Lithuania===
When Christianity came to Lithuania, the plants which sprouted earliest were honored during spring feasts. The name "Palm Sunday" is a misnomer; the "verba" or "dwarfed spruce" is used instead. According to tradition, on the Saturday before Palm Sunday the Lithuanians take special care in choosing and cutting well-formed branches, which the women-folk decorate with flowers. The flowers are meticulously tied onto the branches, making the "Verba".{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

===The Levant===
In [[Israel]], [[Jordan]], [[Lebanon]], [[Palestine]], and [[Syria]], Palm Sunday (''Shaa'nineh'' in Arabic) Is perhaps the best-attended liturgy in the Christian Calendar, among the [[Orthodoxy#Christianity|Orthodox]], Catholic ([[Latin Church|Latin]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern]]), and [[Anglican]] Churches, perhaps because it is notably a family occasion.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Life Worth Living: The Story of a Palestinian Catholic|first=Bernard|last= Sabella|year= 2017| isbn=9781532615306|page =178|publisher=Resource Publications}}</ref> On this day, children attend church with branches from [[olive]] and palm trees. Also, there will be carefully woven [[cross]]es and other symbols made from palm fronds and [[rose]]s and a procession at the beginning of the liturgy, during which at some point, the priest will take an [[olive branch]] and splash [[holy water]] on the faithful.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

===Malta===
All the parishes of [[Malta]] and [[Gozo]] on Palm Sunday ([[Maltese language|Maltese]]: ''Ħadd il-Palm'') bless the palm leaves and the olive leaves. Those parishes that have the statues of [[Good Friday]] bless the olive tree they put on the statues of "Jesus prays in the Olive Garden" (''Ġesù fl-Ort'') and the "Betrayal of Judas" (''il-Bewsa ta' Ġuda''). Also, many people take a small olive branch to their homes because it is a [[Sacramentals|sacramental]].{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

===Netherlands===
In the [[Dutch Low Saxon|Saxon]] regions of the Netherlands, crosses are decorated with candy and bread, made in the form of a [[rooster]]. In the [[Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden]], a great [[procession]] with oil lamps is held the night before Palm Sunday in honour of the [[Sorrowful Mother of Warfhuizen]].

===Philippines===
{{See also|Holy Week in the Philippines}}

[[File:San Carlos Pangasinan Palm Sunday Procession 2024-03-24.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Palm fronds being blessed in [[San Carlos, Pangasinan|San Carlos]], [[Pangasinan]], Philippines.]]
In the [[Philippines]], a statue of Christ riding a donkey (the ''Humenta''), or the presiding priest on horseback, is brought to the local church in a morning procession. Congregants line the route, waving ''palaspás'' (ornately woven palm branches) and spreading ''tapis'' (heirloom "aprons" made for this ritual) in imitation of the excited Jerusalemites. At the church parvise, a house, or the town plaza, children dressed as angels scatter flowers as they sing the day's [[antiphon]] ''[[Hosanna filio David]]'' in the vernacular and to traditional tunes. The first Mass of the day then follows.

Once blessed, the ''palaspás'' are brought home and placed on altars, doorways, and windows. The Church teaches that this is a sign of welcoming Christ into the home, but folk belief holds that the blessed ''palaspás'' are [[apotropaic]], deterring evil spirits, lightning, and fires. Another folk custom is to feed pieces of blessed ''palaspás'' to [[rooster]]s used in [[Cockfight#Philippines|''sabong'']] (cockfighting); this was strongly discouraged by the [[Archbishop of Manila]], Cardinal [[Luis Antonio Tagle]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 16, 2017 |title=Ilocoslovakia and the youth in me - HERALD EXPRESS {{!}} News in Cordillera and Northern Luzon |url=https://www.baguioheraldexpressonline.com/ilocoslovakia-and-the-youth-in-me/ |access-date=May 2, 2022|language=en-US}}</ref> In other provinces, the flowers strewn by the angels during the procession are added to the rice seeds being planted, in the belief that these will ensure a bountiful harvest.

===Poland===
[[File:87365 Palm Sunday.jpg|thumb|upright|A palm in [[Łyse, Masovian Voivodeship|Łyse]], [[Poland]]]]
Many [[Poland|Polish]] towns and villages organize decorated [[Easter palm]] competitions: the best known are [[Lipnica Murowana]] in [[Lesser Poland]] and [[Łyse, Masovian Voivodeship|Łyse]] in [[Mazovia]]. The biggest of those reach above {{convert|30|m|sp=us}} in length; for example, the highest palm in 2008 was {{convert|33.39|m|sp=us}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.realpoland.eu/the-easter-palm-sunday/ |title=The Easter Palm Sunday |publisher=Realpoland.eu |access-date=2018-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410214825/https://www.realpoland.eu/the-easter-palm-sunday/ |archive-date=10 April 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Romania and Moldova===
In [[Romania]] and [[Moldova]], Palm Sunday is known as ''Duminica Floriilor'' or simply ''Florii'', translating ''Flowers' Sunday''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://tourinromania.com/reasons-to-visit-romania/easter-traditions-in-romania/ | title=You want to know more about Easter Traditions in Romania? | date=5 December 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.moldova.org/en/moldovan-christians-celebrate-palm-sunday-229645-eng/ | title=Moldovan Christians celebrate Palm Sunday | date=8 April 2012 }}</ref> This name has its roots in a pre-Christian fertility festival, where flowers played a prominent role.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.studyromanian.com/post/2017/04/06/duminica-floriilor-the-palm-sunday | title=Duminica Floriilor – the Palm Sunday | date=13 April 2017 }}</ref>

===Spain===
{{See also|Holy Week in Spain}}

In Spain, there is a tradition at the Palmeral of Elche (Europe's largest palm grove) in which local people cover palm leaves from the sun to allow them to whiten, and then they tie and braid them into intricate shapes.
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spainisculture.com/en/propuestas_culturales/elche_la_artesania_de_la_palma_blanca_y_el_calzado.html |title=The city of Elche, known for its arts and crafts tradition, in Spain is Culture |publisher=Spainisculture.com |access-date=2018-04-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015044246/http://www.spainisculture.com/en/propuestas_culturales/elche_la_artesania_de_la_palma_blanca_y_el_calzado.html |archive-date=15 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A [[Spanish proverbs|Spanish rhyming proverb]] states: ''Domingo de Ramos, quien no estrena algo, se le caen las manos'' ("On Palm Sunday, the hands drop off of those who fail to wear something new"). On Palm Sunday, it is customary to don new clothing or shoes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Need Some Easter Sunday Outfit Ideas? Here Are A Few Fashionable (and Affordable) Looks|url=https://www.womansday.com/style/fashion/a19375288/what-to-wear-easter-sunday/|last1=Murtaugh|first1=Taysha|last2=Hanrahan|first2=Laura|date=2020-03-09|website=Woman's Day|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref>

===Syria===
In [[Syria]], it is popular for children to go door to door in neighborhoods, chanting about Lazarus' rising from the dead, for which they are given coins or eggs.<ref>Before the Syrian civil war (2011–present), authors documented the traditions e.g. in Tanya Gulevich, ''Encyclopedia of Easter, Carnival, and Lent'' (Bloomington: Indiana University: 2009), 345. {{ISBN|978-0780804326}}; and Patricia Lysaght, ''Food and Celebration: From Fasting to Feasting. Proceedings of the 13th Conference of the International Commission for Ethnological Food Research, Ljubljana, Preddvor, and Piran, Slovenia, June 5–11, 2000'' (Ljubljana: Založba, 2002), 155. {{ISBN|978-9616358545}}</ref>

===Wales===
{{Main|Flowering Sunday}}
[[File:Flowering Sunday grave decorations in South Wales circa 1907 (first postcard).jpg|thumb|upright=1|These Flowering Sunday grave decorations were photographed in South Wales {{Circa|1907}}]]

In southern [[Wales]] and nearby portions of England, 'Sul y Blodau' or 'Flowering Sunday' is a grave decoration tradition commonly observed on Palm Sunday, although historically Flowering Sunday grave decoration was also observed on other days as well. Today, the names Palm Sunday and Flowering Sunday are used interchangeably in those regions. In 1829, Thomas Wallace of [[Llanbadoc]], [[Monmouthshire]] published a poem which contains the first known reference to the custom being practiced only on Palm Sunday.

Welsh cemetery cleaning and decoration traditions may have begun as an Easter celebration before becoming more commonly associated with Palm Sunday. As early as 1786, cleaning and flower decorations were attested by William Matthews during a tour of South Wales.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Matthews |first1=William |title=The miscellaneous companions, Vol. I Being a short tour of observation and sentiment, through a part of South Wales |date=1786 |pages=50–51}}</ref> Richard Warner attested in 1797 "the ornamenting of the graves of the deceased with various plants and flowers, at certain seasons, by the surviving relatives" and noted that Easter was the most popular time for this tradition. By 1803, Malkin's observations in "The Scenery, Antiquities, and Biography of South Wales from materials collected during two excursions in the year 1803" reflect the shift away predominantly associating the custom with Easter.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Malkin |title=The Scenery, Antiquities, and Biography of South Wales from materials collected during two excursions in the year 1803. Embellished with views drawn on the spot and engraved by Laporte and a map of the county |date=1904 |pages=67–69}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Christianity|Holidays}}
* [[Crucifixion eclipse]]
* [[Divine Mercy Sunday]]
* [[Palm branch (symbol)]]
* [[Lent#Holy days within the season of Lent|Holy days within the season of Lent]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|last1=Frood |first1=J. D. |last2=Graves |first2=M. A. R. |title=Seasons and Ceremonies: Tudor-Stuart England|publisher= Elizabethan Promotions|date= 1992}}
* [https://books.apple.com/us/book/vhod-gospoden-v-ierusalim/id642832216 Вход Господень в Иерусалим. Богослужебные указания для священнослужителей.] (Составитель протоиерей Виталий Грищук) – СПб.: Санкт-Петербургская православная духовная академия, 2013г. (в формате iBooks) {{in lang|ru}}.

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Palm Sunday}}
* [http://www.liturgies.net/Lent/PalmSunday.htm An Order of Service for Palm Sunday]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080410115942/http://www.zrism.com/comments/easter/palm-crosses/ Learn how to make a cross out of palms]
* {{CathEncy|wstitle=Palm Sunday |volume=11 |first=Francis |last=Mershman |short=1}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080322045539/http://www.greekorthodox.org.au/general/livinganorthodoxlife/liturgicalmeaningofholyweek/palmsunday Palm Sunday (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311201642/http://www.byzantines.net/feasts/lent/palmsunday.htm Palm Sunday according to the Byzantine Rite Tradition]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150331014427/http://www.newstimes360.com/palm-sunday-images-quotes-pictures-2015 Palm Sunday 2015]
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Palm Sunday |volume=20 |pages=650–651 |short=1}}
* [https://ctdtimers.com/countdowns/holidays/palm-sunday/ Palm Sunday Countdown Timer]

{{s-start}}
{{s-other|Sundays of the [[Easter cycle]]|#c00}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Fifth Sunday of Lent]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Palm Sunday|years={{#invoke:Easter|Calculate|{{CURRENTYEAR}}|day=Palm Sunday|format=F j, Y}}}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Easter]]}}
{{end}}

{{US Holidays}}
{{Liturgical year of the Catholic Church}}
{{Easter}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church]]
[[Category:Christian Sunday observances]]
[[Category:Holy Week]]
[[Category:March observances]]
[[Category:April observances]]
[[Category:Greek traditions]]
[[Category:Public holidays in Greece]]
[[Category:May observances]]
[[Category:Feasts of Jesus Christ]]
[[Category:Holy Week processions]]