What is Palm Sunday? What to know about Holy Week 2026

The Easter season will come to a close in a little over a week, on Easter Sunday. But the days leading up to Easter Sunday are equally important to many Christians and Catholics. Holy Week begins this Sunday, March 29, with Palm Sunday.

Each day of Holy Week commemorates different events in the week leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible.

Here’s the calendar for Holy Week 2026, what Palm Sunday is and what to know about other Holy Week days.

When is Easter 2026? Publix will be closed. See list of open stores

When is Easter Sunday 2026?

Easter Sunday will fall on April 5 in 2026. In 2025, Easter fell much later in the month, on April 20. Eastern Orthodox Easter will fall on Sunday, April 12, 2026.

What are the 7 days of Holy Week? See Holy Week 2026 calendar

Holy Week begins one week before Easter, with Palm Sunday this weekend.

Here’s the Holy Week 2026 calendar:

• Palm Sunday: Sunday, March 29. Commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem.
• Holy Monday: Monday, March 30. Commemorates Jesus driving out people selling livestock and changing money in the temple, declaring it a “house of prayer.”
• Holy Tuesday: Tuesday, March 31. Commemorates Jesus’ final teachings in Jerusalem.
• Holy Wednesday: Wednesday, April 1. Sometimes referred to as “Spy Wednesday,” Holy Wednesday commemorates Judas conspiring with local authorities to betray Jesus.
• Holy Thursday, Lent ends: Thursday, April 2. Sometimes referred to as “Maundy Thursday,” Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, where Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples before being arrested and establishes the sacrament of communion.
• Good Friday: Friday, April 3. Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus.
• Holy Saturday: Saturday, April 4. Commemorates Jesus’s burial.
• Easter Sunday: Sunday, April 5. Commemorates Jesus’s resurrection as described in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20 in the New Testament of the Bible.

What is the significance of Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday is always one week before Easter Sunday and marks the beginning of Holy Week each year.

Palm Sunday commemorates the beginning of Jesus’s final week of ministry before his crucifixion. According to the New Testament Gospels in the Bible, Jesus entered Jerusalem on a humble donkey, where crowds greeted him with praise, laying down their cloaks and palm branches (symbols of victory) before him. The story of Palm Sunday in the Bible can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 21.

“Today, believers celebrate Palm Sunday through worship, Scripture reading, and joyful remembrance; a time to honor Christ’s kingship and prepare our hearts for the sacrifice and victory of Easter,” according to Biblestudytools.com.

Today, many Christians receive palm branches at Palm Sunday church services, sometimes twisted into the shape of a cross.

When does Lent end? Lent 2026 dates

Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, is the official beginning of the Easter season.

Lent is a 40-day period of fasting, prayer and repentance that many Christians and Catholics observe leading up to Easter Sunday. Many people give up something they love for those 40 days, while others choose to fast from food in different ways.

Lent ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. In 2026, Lent will end on Thursday, April 2.

What, when is Good Friday?

Good Friday always falls on the Friday immediately before Easter Sunday and commemorates the day Jesus was crucified.

“For Christians, Good Friday is an important day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world,” Christianity.com says. “Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross and resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation.”

Good Friday 2026 falls on April 3.

Why does Easter change every year?

Easter’s date changes because it is based on the lunar calendar. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Easter Sunday always falls on the first full moon after the spring equinox.

“While Christmas is fixed to a solar calendar (and near the winter solstice), Easter is based on the lunar cycles of the Jewish calendar,” the almanac says. 

“In the Christian religion, the Last Supper (the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion) was a Passover feast. Because Easter is based on a lunar month (which is 29.5 days), the date of Easter can vary.”

Lianna Norman is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.