The Church Year
What Is Palm Sunday?
Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter that opens Holy Week. It remembers Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey while crowds waved palm branches and shouted ‘Hosanna.’ Churches often hand out palms and hold processions. It is a day of joy shadowed by what is coming, for the same city would turn against him within the week. Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches all keep it.
What Palm Sunday remembers
On Palm Sunday the church recalls Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, days before his death. He came not on a war horse but on a humble donkey, fulfilling an old prophecy, while crowds spread their cloaks and palm branches on the road and cried ‘Hosanna to the son of David.’ Many churches hand out palm branches, hold processions, and read the story of the entry, often alongside the fuller account of the passion. It begins Holy Week, the most sacred week of the Christian year.
The King who came humbly
Palm Sunday holds joy and sorrow together. The crowds welcomed a king, but not the kind they expected, and the palms of Sunday gave way to the cross of Friday. It is the doorway into the week that changed everything.
Find a service near you
Palm Sunday is a joyful morning to step into Holy Week. You do not need to know anyone, dress a certain way, or have it all figured out. Use the live church finder to search real, welcoming churches near you, then reach out to one and ask about their service times. Whether you have been every week for fifty years or have never been at all, you are wanted exactly as you are.
Find a church near youWhat to expect if you goFrequently asked questions
- Why do churches use palms on Palm Sunday?
- Because when Jesus entered Jerusalem the crowds waved palm branches and spread them on the road as a welcome for a king (John 12:13). Churches hand out palms to join in that welcome and remember the day.
- What is Palm Sunday the beginning of?
- Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, the final week of Lent leading to Easter. It is followed by Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the joy of Easter Sunday.
- Do Orthodox churches keep Palm Sunday?
- Yes. Palm Sunday is kept across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches, though its date follows each tradition's calendar, so Orthodox Palm Sunday can fall on a different Sunday from the Western date.
Come and see
Behind every one of these days is a Person, not a performance. The living Christ is not an argument to be won but someone to be met, and he still draws near to everyone who comes to him with an open heart. You do not have to believe everything first. You are welcome to come with your questions, your grief, and your doubts, and simply see. The Gospel of John is a gentle place to begin, and it costs you nothing but a little quiet and an honest look.
Read the Gospel of JohnCome and SeeAsk for prayerJesus Christ is Lord.
