March 27, 2026, 1:26 p.m. MT

As Christians, including Catholics, prepare for Easter Sunday, there are several days leading up to that that are equally significant. Holy Week begins Sunday, March 29, with Palm Sunday.

Each day of Holy Week commemorates different events in the week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible.

Here’s what to know about Palm Sunday in 2026.

A St. Pius X parishioner fashioned a cross from a palm frond during a past Palm Sunday.When is Palm Sunday 2026? When is Easter?

Palm Sunday 2026 falls on March 29. Easter happens one week later, on April 5, just days after the Paschal Full Moon.

What is Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday, commemorates Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, according to Britannica.

It is associated in many churches with the blessing and procession of palms, including leaves of the date palm or twigs from locally available trees, symbolizing how Jesus was welcomed in the Gospels and recognition of Jesus as king.

Here’s the Holy Week 2026 calendar:

Palm Sunday: Sunday, March 29. Commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.Holy Monday: Monday, March 30. Commemorates Jesus driving out people selling livestock and changing money in the temple, declaring it a “house of prayer.”Holy Tuesday: Tuesday, March 31. Commemorates Jesus’ final teachings in Jerusalem.Holy Wednesday: Wednesday, April 1. Sometimes referred to as “Spy Wednesday,” Holy Wednesday commemorates Judas’s conspiracy with the local authorities to betray Jesus.Holy Thursday, Lent ends: Thursday, April 2. Sometimes referred to as “Maundy Thursday,” Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, when Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples before his arrest, and establishes the sacrament of communion.Good Friday: Friday, April 3. Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus.Holy Saturday: Saturday, April 4. Commemorates Jesus’s burial.Easter Sunday: Sunday, April 5. Commemorates Jesus’s resurrection as described in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20 in the New Testament of the Bible.What is the significance of Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday is always one week before Easter Sunday and marks the beginning of Holy Week each year.

Palm Sunday commemorates the beginning of Jesus’s final week of ministry before his crucifixion. According to the New Testament Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a humble donkey, where crowds greeted him with praise, laying down their cloaks and palm branches (symbols of victory) before him. The story of Palm Sunday in the Bible can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 21.

“Today, believers celebrate Palm Sunday through worship, Scripture reading, and joyful remembrance; a time to honor Christ’s kingship and prepare our hearts for the sacrifice and victory of Easter,” according to Biblestudytools.com.

Today, many Christians receive palm branches at Palm Sunday church services, and make a tradition of shaping it into a cross to take home.

Source: USAToday