Palm Sunday 2027 falls on Sunday, March 21, 2027, for Catholic and Protestant churches, and on Sunday, April 25, 2027, for Orthodox churches. It begins Holy Week and marks Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem.
Western and Orthodox Palm Sundays are five weeks apart in 2027, the widest gap in the 2026–2031 period, because Western Easter falls early (March 28) and Orthodox Pascha falls late (May 2).
The Gospel of Mark supplies the Passion reading in Catholic and most Protestant churches on March 21, 2027, because 2027 is Year B in both the Catholic Lectionary and the Revised Common Lectionary.
The palms blessed that day are traditionally kept and burned to make the ashes for the following Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2028.
Table of Contents
When is Palm Sunday 2027?
Palm Sunday always falls one week before Easter, so its date depends on which Easter a church follows.
The table gives both 2027 dates.
| Tradition | Palm Sunday 2027 | Easter 2027 | Churches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western | Sunday, March 21, 2027 | Sunday, March 28, 2027 | Catholic, Anglican/Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, and most other Protestant churches |
| Orthodox | Sunday, April 25, 2027 | Sunday, May 2, 2027 | Greek, Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Antiochian, and other Eastern Orthodox churches |
Palm Sunday is a Sunday, so it is not a separate public holiday in the United States or elsewhere.
Palm Sunday 2027 in Holy Week
Palm Sunday opens the final week of Lent, which ends with the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night. The table lists each day of Western Holy Week 2027.
| Day | Date | Commemorates |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Sunday | Sunday, March 21, 2027 | Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem |
| Holy Monday | Monday, March 22, 2027 | Cleansing of the Temple |
| Holy Tuesday | Tuesday, March 23, 2027 | Teaching in the Temple |
| Spy Wednesday | Wednesday, March 24, 2027 | Judas agrees to betray Jesus |
| Maundy Thursday | Thursday, March 25, 2027 | The Last Supper |
| Good Friday | Friday, March 26, 2027 | The Crucifixion |
| Holy Saturday | Saturday, March 27, 2027 | Jesus in the tomb; Easter Vigil at night |
| Easter Sunday | Sunday, March 28, 2027 | The Resurrection |
| Easter Monday | Monday, March 29, 2027 | First day of the Easter Octave |
What does Palm Sunday commemorate?
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, when crowds spread cloaks and branches on the road and shouted “Hosanna.”
All four Gospels record the event: Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, Luke 19:28–40 and John 12:12–19. Only John specifies palm branches.
The Catholic Church calls the day Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, because the liturgy moves from the joyful procession to the reading of Christ’s Passion in the same service.
Palm Sunday 2027 readings
In 2027, Catholic and Revised Common Lectionary churches read the entry into Jerusalem from Mark 11 or John 12, and the Passion from Mark 14–15. The three-year lectionary rotates the Synoptic Gospels, and Year B assigns Mark.
The table compares the cycle.
| Year | Lectionary year | Passion Gospel on Palm Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Year A | Matthew |
| 2027 | Year B | Mark (14:1–15:47) |
| 2028 | Year C | Luke |
John’s Passion is read on Good Friday every year, in every cycle. The full Catholic year is set out in the Liturgical Calendar 2027.
How Palm Sunday is observed
Palm Sunday services begin with the blessing of branches and a procession, then turn to the Passion. Practice varies by denomination:
| Tradition | Name | 2027 date | Distinctive practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic | Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord | Sunday, March 21, 2027 | Blessing of palms, procession, long Passion reading with parts for several readers; red vestments |
| Anglican/Episcopal | Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday | Sunday, March 21, 2027 | Liturgy of the Palms followed by the Liturgy of the Word with the Passion |
| Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian | Palm/Passion Sunday | Sunday, March 21, 2027 | Congregations choose palm-focused or Passion-focused readings |
| Eastern Orthodox | Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem | Sunday, April 25, 2027 | Follows Lazarus Saturday, April 24; one of the 12 Great Feasts; fish permitted during Lent |
Palm substitutes by country
Where palms do not grow, churches bless local branches, and several regions name the day after them. The table lists common examples.
| Country or region | Branch used | Local name |
|---|---|---|
| Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland | Pussy willow | Willow Sunday (Verbnoye Voskresenye in Russian) |
| Italy, Spain, southern France | Olive branches | Domenica delle Palme, Domingo de Ramos |
| Ireland and parts of Britain | Yew | Yew Sunday (in some Irish areas) |
| Southern Germany and Austria | Bundles of evergreens (Palmbuschen) | Palmsonntag |
| Wales | Flowers placed on family graves | Sul y Blodau (Flowering Sunday) |
| Philippines | Woven palm fronds (palaspas) | Linggo ng Palaspas |
What happens to Palm Sunday palms?
Blessed palms are sacramentals, so churches do not throw them away; they burn them to make ashes for the next Ash Wednesday.
Palms blessed on Sunday, March 21, 2027, are traditionally collected and burned before Ash Wednesday, March 1, 2028. Many households fold palms into crosses and keep them behind a crucifix or holy picture until then. To dispose of a blessed palm yourself, burn it or bury it rather than discard it.
What Palm Sunday 2027 is not
Palm Sunday is often confused with related observances. The points below separate them.
- It is not a holy day of obligation of its own. It is a Sunday, so the ordinary Sunday obligation applies.
- It is not the start of Lent. Lent began on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027; Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, the last week of Lent.
- It is not on the same day for all Christians in 2027. Orthodox Palm Sunday falls five weeks later, on April 25.
- It is not Passion Sunday in the pre-1970 sense. Before the 1969 reform, the Catholic Church called the fifth Sunday of Lent Passion Sunday; it now joins that name to Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday dates 2026 to 2031
Western and Orthodox Palm Sundays fall on the same day in 2028 and 2031. The table covers six years.
| Year | Western Palm Sunday | Orthodox Palm Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, March 29, 2026 | Sunday, April 5, 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday, March 21, 2027 | Sunday, April 25, 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday, April 9, 2028 | Sunday, April 9, 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday, March 25, 2029 | Sunday, April 1, 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday, April 14, 2030 | Sunday, April 21, 2030 |
| 2031 | Sunday, April 6, 2031 | Sunday, April 6, 2031 |
Frequently asked questions
What date is Palm Sunday 2027?
Palm Sunday 2027 is Sunday, March 21, 2027, for Western churches and Sunday, April 25, 2027, for Orthodox churches. Both fall one week before their respective Easter Sundays.
Which Gospel is read on Palm Sunday 2027?
The Passion according to Mark (Mark 14:1–15:47) is read on Palm Sunday 2027, because 2027 is Year B in the Catholic Lectionary and the Revised Common Lectionary.
What do you do with palms after Palm Sunday?
Keep them in the home until the following Lent, then return them to the parish to be burned for Ash Wednesday ashes. Blessed palms are sacramentals and should be burned or buried, not thrown away.
