When Is Palm Sunday 2022? Here's Everything You Need to Know
You probably know that Easter is when Christian churches celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, but there are some other important Christian holidays that are related to Easter that happen before Easter Sunday. One of them is Palm Sunday, which signifies the end of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week, which are the seven days leading up to Easter. If you’re wondering when Palm Sunday is happening in 2022, what the history of Palm Sunday is, and how Christians celebrate it today, we’ve got all the answers for you here.
When is Palm Sunday in 2022?
Each year, Palm Sunday is celebrated the Sunday before Easter. The date of Easter varies — it's determined by the moon, and usually falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the Spring equinox.
This year, Easter falls on April 17, 2022. Good Friday is two days before Easter, on April 15, 2022. Which means Palm Sunday will be on April 10, 2022.
What's the history of Palm Sunday?
It marks Jesus’ celebrated arrival into Jerusalem. As he rode a donkey into the city, crowds of people gathered to shout his praises, and many of them laid palm branches and their cloaks on the road as a gesture of honor. The story of Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem is told in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Matthew 21:8-11 tells the story as:
“Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!’ And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, ‘Who is this?’ And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.’”
Palm Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday because the passion narrative, a name for the final acts and suffering of Jesus, is recounted on this day.
In the week following Palm Sunday, Jesus taught many lessons before being persecuted and killed. You may recall the stories of Jesus driving the money-changers from the Temple, the Last Supper, and Judas's kiss of betrayal. These events all occurred during the last few days of Jesus's life. Good Friday, another important Christian holiday, commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. Easter Sunday celebrates his resurrection.
According to Christianity.com, Palm Sunday celebrations began in the late third century in the Jerusalem Church. People would travel through the many holy places within the city, including the site of Jesus' ascent into heaven. At this final place, the ministry would recite the biblical passage of Jesus’ victorious entrance into Jerusalem. In the sixth and seventh centuries, the ceremonial blessing of the palms became a part of the ritual. By the eighth century, the Western church was celebrating the Palm Sunday we know today.
How Christians celebrate Palm Sunday:
Many churches will find ways to include palm branches in their services on Palm Sunday. At some churches, the congregation receives palm branches that have been blessed by the priest, which they can then make into crosses. Other churches may decorate with palm branches for the service. At some Catholic churches, there might be a procession using the palms where a priest will walk towards the church while the congregants place palms before him.
During Palm Sunday services, the priest or pastor will often share the story of Jesus' joyful entry into Jerusalem as well as the passion narrative about his persecution and death. They may also share specific Bible verses about Palm Sunday or lead the congregation in a Palm Sunday prayer.
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