Mark your calendars because Easter Sunday will be here before you know it. Maybe you have already jumped on your Easter dinner menu or started looking at Easter basket stuffers for the crew, but before you head to your Easter egg hunt there is another important Christian holiday that takes place right before: Holy Week.
This religious week consists of some of the most important days of the Christian calendar, and is celebrated in several parts of the world including Spain, Italy, Mexico and several other countries. It’s a commemoration of Jesus Christ’s life, crucifixion and resurrection which lasts over a seven-day period. The first day that commences Holy Week is known as Palm Sunday, a day when Jesus was celebrated and welcomed to the city of Jerusalem.
Whether you celebrate Holy Week every year or came here to learn more about the significance of these religious days, we are sharing when Palm Sunday is this year, as well as other important dates during this week.
When is Palm Sunday in 2024?
This year, Palm Sunday falls on April 2, 2023. Easter Sunday always changes every year due to it being based on the Lunar calendar, and Palm Sunday follows the same pattern since it's always the Sunday before Easter.
Holy Week is as follows:
- Palm Sunday: April 2
- Maundy Thursday: April 6
- Good Friday: April 7
- Holy Saturday: April 8
- Easter Sunday: April 9
Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper; Good Friday commemorates Jesus' crucifixion; Holy Saturday commemorates the vigil that Jesus' followers held outside his tomb; and Easter Sunday celebrates the day Christ was resurrected.
Why and how is Palm Sunday celebrated?
Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week, a seven-day span that culminates the day before Easter Sunday. The feast commemorates Jesus’ triumphant arrival in the city of Jerusalem for Passover, where he was greeted by a crowd of people laying palm branches at his feet. According to Christianity.com, his welcomers hoped that Jesus would overthrow the Roman government in Jerusalem.
Nowadays, there are still palms involved in the Palm Sunday mass. Each year, palms are blessed and distributed, and many believers tie them into the shape of a cross. According to the World Catholic Library, "Because the palms are blessed, they may not be discarded as trash. Instead, they are appropriately gathered at the church and incinerated to create the ashes that will be used in the follow year's Ash Wednesday observance."
When is Palm Sunday in 2024?
In 2024, Palm Sunday will fall on March 24. Easter Sunday will fall on March 31, 2024.
Juliana is a writer, editor and SEO strategist with over six years' of experience on the editorial staffs of publications including Reader's Digest, Best Life and Good Housekeeping. She covers everything from holiday and home to travel and food, and lives in New York City, where she can often be found at hot yoga or raiding the candy aisle at CVS.
Katarina Avendaño (she/her) is the senior SEO editor for Good Housekeeping, where she writes and edits lifestyle content and contributes to SEO strategy. Before joining GH in 2021, she was the digital editor at New York Family, where she was responsible for the website’s content and strategy. Katarina received her bachelor's degree in communications and Spanish from the University of Washington.
