Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday History

Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, a week before his crucifixion. Key elements of the observance include the blessing and distribution of palm branches, symbolising the fronds that were laid out to welcome Christ into the city. In many Christian traditions, Palm Sunday also marks the beginning of Holy Week, a time of reflection and anticipation leading up to Easter Sunday.

The tradition of Palm Sunday extends all the way back to the earliest days of Christianity. In the United Kingdom, it has been a part of religious culture since at least the Anglo-Saxon period, with references in texts and works of art from this era. In recent years, Palm Sunday has taken on a broad significance, providing a moment for Christians to reflect on themes of humility, service, and sacrifice, values which resonate widely within the diverse Christian communities of the UK.

In the United Kingdom, Palm Sunday is typically marked by special church services, during which parishioners often carry palm crosses. These small crosses, made of palm fronds, are blessed and then distributed. The day may also include processions, communal meals, and sometimes dramatic presentations or re-enactments of the biblical narrative. Palm Sunday typically falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday.

Top 8 Facts for 2026 Palm Sunday in the UK

• In addition to the beginning of the Holy Week period, several unique cultural and historical traditions in the United Kingdom contribute to the distinctiveness of this observance.
  
  In various parts of Herefordshire, congregations participate in the centuries-old distribution of Pax Cakes, which are small biscuits stamped with a lamb and flag and given out by clergy as a gesture of peace and "good neighbourhood."
• Many churches across the country incorporate live donkeys into their street processions to recreate the Triumphal Entry, a practice that has seen a modern resurgence in both rural villages and urban cathedrals.
• In Wales and parts of Northern England, the day is historically known as Flowering Sunday, a time when families visit cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves of their relatives with fresh spring flowers.
• Because palm trees are not native to the British Isles, traditional "English Palms" were often made from sallow or pussy willow branches, leading to the alternative regional names of Sallow Sunday or Willow Sunday.
• The musical highlight for many is the annual performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, particularly the renowned rendition by The Bach Choir at the Royal Festival Hall in London, which is a significant fixture in the British classical calendar.
• Another curious regional tradition is Fig Sunday, where it was customary to eat figs or fig puddings in memory of the biblical story of the barren fig tree, a practice once accompanied by the drinking of Spanish juice made from dissolved licorice.
• The small palm crosses distributed during services are often kept in homes throughout the year before being returned to the church to be burned, providing the traditional ashes for the following year's Ash Wednesday.
• Historical accounts also describe the burning of straw effigies known as a Jack-o'-Lent, a folk custom intended to represent the rejection of Judas Iscariot as the narrative moves toward the events of Good Friday.

In the News and Trending in the UK for Palm Sunday

Top things to do in the UK for Palm Sunday

• Offer somebody a palm as an act of reconciliation or forgiveness. It is a common tradition among many Italian Catholics.
• Visit the Westminster Abbey: England's oldest and most prestigious religious building hosts spectacular Palm Sunday services each year with a procession, sermon, and Holy Communion.
• Attend the Palm Sunday Procession in Brighton: Every year churches across Brighton & Hove come together to take part in this procession. This event features music, and bears crosses, to symbolise Jesus's journey on palm Sunday.