Easter Palm Sunday Kids Coloring Page: Free PDF Sheet

Palm Sunday and the Week Before Easter

Palm Sunday in the Christian Calendar

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the seven days leading to Easter in the Christian liturgical calendar. The day commemorates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem five days before the crucifixion, an event described in all four Gospels with broadly consistent details: crowds welcoming him on the road, garments and palm or leafy branches spread before him, and shouts of "Hosanna" — a Hebrew word meaning "save, please" that had become an acclamation of praise. The specific mention of palm branches appears most prominently in the Gospel of John; the other Gospels describe branches cut from trees or leafy shoots without specifying palms. The early church in Jerusalem was already celebrating the entry on the Sunday before Easter by at least the fourth century, when the Spanish pilgrim Egeria documented the procession in her travel diary from around 384 CE.

Palm Branches as Symbols of Victory

Long before Palm Sunday, the palm branch carried strong symbolic meaning in the ancient Mediterranean world. In ancient Egypt, the palm rib (a frond stripped of its leaflets) was the hieroglyph for "year" and by extension "long life." Roman tradition used palm branches to honor military victories — winning generals in Roman triumphs received them as laurel wreaths were placed on their heads. The phrase "bearing the palm" entered English from this Roman tradition, meaning to win or excel. In Jewish tradition, palm branches (lulav) are one of the four species used in the festival of Sukkot, waved during prayers as a symbol of joy and celebration. The crowd's use of palms to greet Jesus on the road to Jerusalem drew on all of these associations simultaneously.

Palm Sunday Celebrations Around the World

Global Palm Sunday traditions vary widely by region and denomination. In many Latin American countries, elaborate palm sculptures — woven into crosses, stars, and flower shapes — are carried in procession to church and then kept at home until the following year's Ash Wednesday, when last year's palms are burned to make the ashes. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Orthodox Christians use olive and other leafy branches rather than palms, waving them during large outdoor processions. In the Philippines, the Salubong tradition involves two separate nighttime processions meeting in front of the church — one carrying an image of the risen Christ and one carrying an image of Mary — with a child dressed as an angel lowering a veil from Mary's image. In parts of Germany and Austria, decorated palm branches tied with ribbons, evergreens, and colored paper are known as Palmbusche and are blessed at church on Palm Sunday morning.

Donkeys in the Ancient Near East

The domestic donkey, Equus asinus, was domesticated in northeast Africa from the African wild ass approximately 5,000 to 7,000 years ago, making it one of the earliest working animals. In the ancient Near East, donkeys were the primary pack animal before widespread horse domestication. They carried trade goods across desert routes, transported grain and water in agricultural communities, and served as riding animals for people who could not afford horses. In the Hebrew Bible, Balaam's donkey speaks in a famous passage from Numbers. Solomon's mother Bathsheba rides a mule — the cross between a horse and a donkey — to a royal audience. Kings and priests typically rode donkeys for peaceful travel; horses were reserved for military use, making the choice of mount a deliberate political and symbolic statement in the Palm Sunday narrative.

Holy Week and Its Daily Observances

The days between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday have accumulated specific observances over Christian history. Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday are traditionally associated with Jesus teaching in the Temple courts. Holy Wednesday, sometimes called Spy Wednesday, marks the Gospel account of Judas agreeing to betray Jesus to the religious authorities. Holy Thursday — also called Maundy Thursday from the Latin "mandatum" (commandment) — commemorates the Last Supper and the washing of disciples' feet; many churches hold foot-washing ceremonies on this day. Good Friday marks the crucifixion, with two- or three-hour services often held in the middle of the day. Holy Saturday is a day of quiet waiting before the Easter Vigil held Saturday night, which is considered the oldest and most elaborate service in the Christian liturgical year. Children's Palm Sunday activities often serve as the first introduction to this week-long sequence of stories and observances.