"And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” ~ Matthew 21:9
Because Easter dates change each year, Palm Sunday also varies annually. Find the holiday date for Palm Sunday in 2024 and the traditions of Palm Sunday as we explore the biblical meaning of celebrating Jesus' triumphal entry to Jerusalem.
When Is Palm Sunday This Year?
Palm Sunday will be on March 24, 2024. Palm Sunday always occurs one week before Easter Sunday. However, the day of Easter depends upon the movement of the moon. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the Full Moon, occurring on or after March 21. If the Full Moon is on a Sunday, Easter is observed on the following Sunday.
According to timeanddate.com, Easter is liturgically related to the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere (March equinox) and the Full Moon. However, its date is not based on the actual astronomical date of either event.
- March 21 is the Church's date of the March equinox, regardless of the time zone, while the actual date of the equinox varies between March 19 and March 22, and the date depends on the time zone.
- The date of the Paschal Full Moon used to determine the date of Easter is based on mathematical approximations following a 19-year cycle called the Metonic cycle.
- Both dates may coincide with the dates of astronomical events, but in some years, they don't.
Learn more about the determination of Easter's date: When is Easter?
Holy Week 2024 Timeline
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and ends on Holy Saturday, followed by Easter Sunday. View the dates for each day of Holy Week in 2023 below:
- Palm Sunday - March 24, 2024
- Holy Monday - March 25, 2024
- Holy Tuesday - March 26, 2024
- Holy Wednesday - March 27, 2024
- Maundy Thursday - March 28, 2024
- Good Friday - March 29, 2024
- Holy Saturday - March 30, 2024
Get your FREE 8-Day Prayer and Scripture Guide - Praying Through the Holy Week HERE. Print your own copy for a beautiful daily devotional leading up to Easter.
Why and How Christians Celebrate Palm Sunday
Christians observe Palm Sunday as a remembrance of God’s faithfulness. Jesus the Messiah came from the line of David, just as God foretold. God’s intention was always forgiveness for His people, and Jesus came to earth as a sacrifice on our behalf and a savior from death. We are forever forgiven and saved eternally when we come to God through Christ. We celebrate who Jesus is, both then as He rode into the city, and now as He sits at the right hand of God.
Palm Sunday is when Christians commemorate Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey. It is named Palm Sunday because the crowd, knowing the significance and triumph of Jesus' entry, took branches from the Palm trees that bordered the road. They waved them in the air declaring 'Hosanna' (meaning 'God Saves' in Hebrew), and put some on the road to greet the Lord that day.
Today, in remembering that day, Christians worldwide go to distinctive church services for Palm Sunday. They often receive small crosses made from palm leaves or other local woods. Palm Sunday is also sometimes called Passion Sunday, as Holy Week recalls the passion or death of Christ.
Prayer and Scripture for Palm Sunday
A Palm Sunday Thanksgiving
We give you thanks, almighty and eternal God, for sending your only Son in the fullness of time to redeem the world with his obedient life and innocent death. When he entered Jerusalem, He was hailed as king by those who spread their garments and palm branches on his path. We carry these branches as signs of the victory he accomplished. Let his victory remain with us, even as we take up our crosses and follow him, that we may die and rise with him, and finally enter his kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. ~ Source: Palm Sunday - Procession with Palms
Read More: A Prayer for Palm Sunday - Hosanna, Blessed is He!
Palm Sunday Scriptures
John 12:13 ~ So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
Zechariah 9:9 ~ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Matthew 21:5 ~ “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
John 3:16-17 ~ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
Psalm 118:25-26 ~ Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Read More: The Bible Story of Palm Sunday
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