Palm Sunday 2026: when is it celebrated and what does the holiday mean
Feast of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem in 2026 will have different dates for believers of the Eastern and Western rites.
When is Palm Sunday in 2026?
In 2026, Palm Sunday for Orthodox and Greek Catholics falls on 5 April, as Easter according to the Eastern rite will be celebrated on 12 April.
At the same time, Christians of the Western rite (Catholics and Protestants) will celebrate the holiday earlier 29 March 2026.
The date changes every year because Palm Sunday is a transitional holiday and is always celebrated exactly one week before Easter.
What Palm Sunday symbolises
Palm Sunday (the church name for the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem) is one of the most important Christian holidays. It reminds us of the Gospel event when Jesus Christ He entered Jerusalem in a solemn ceremony, and the people greeted Him with palm branches.
That is why palm or willow branches are used as a symbol of the holiday in different countries.
Ukrainian traditions
In Ukraine, believers usually:
bless the willow branches in the church;
easily touch their relatives with them with words of health wishes;
keep the blessed willow at home as a talisman.
The holiday opens Holy Week, a period of spiritual preparation for Easter.
Context.
After the majority of Ukrainian churches switched to the New Julian calendar, the dates of some holidays shifted, but the principle of calculating Palm Sunday remained unchanged - it always precedes Easter.
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