When will Palm Sunday be celebrated this year

The Armenian Apostolic Church will celebrate Palm Sunday on March 26 this year, commemorating Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The Armenian Church observes Palm Sunday on the Sunday preceding the Feast of the Resurrection.

By the high authority of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, Palm Sunday has been declared a day for the blessing of children, as children shouted during the Lord’s entry into the temple in Jerusalem. On this day, a special rite for the blessing of children is performed in churches.

The people welcomed Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with enthusiasm, spreading their garments along the path with olive and palm branches. According to the Church Fathers, laying garments before Jesus symbolizes the confession of sins to Christ. Offering branches and stems was generally a sign of great honor and solemnity. The olive tree has been interpreted as a symbol of wisdom, peace, victory, and glory. The offering of olive and palm branches to Christ, who resurrected Lazarus from the dead, symbolizes His victory over death.

Moreover, Palm Sunday symbolizes the first day of creation when God created the heavens and the earth, driving away darkness with the spreading of light. This day also represents the primordial period when plants and flowers adorned the earth, and Adam and Eve rejoiced in Paradise. Just as Cain, driven by jealousy, killed Abel in the primordial age, the Jews, conceiving evil, killed Christ, becoming heirs of Cain’s curse.

Palm Sunday is celebrated five days before the Jewish Passover, when Christ willingly entered Jerusalem—His place of suffering—to demonstrate that He is the Lamb of God, who intends to be sacrificed for our salvation. According to the Law, the Jews would bring the Passover lamb home five days before the Passover festival.

The day before Palm Sunday, on Saturday, a pre-festival is held, the veil of the altar is opened, and on the following day, the festive Divine Liturgy is celebrated with the veil drawn back.

On the morning of Palm Sunday, olive or willow branches are blessed in churches and distributed to the people. The unfruitful willow branches symbolize the pagans, who bore fruit only after being offered to Christ. The softness of the branches symbolizes the humility of the followers of Christ. The willow branches represent our offerings to the Lord, akin to the gifts brought by the Magi from the East on the day of the Nativity.

Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem as a King, symbolically revealing His identity as the King of Glory, who removes the curse and grants life. Jesus came to preach to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, liberate the captives, and restore sight to the blind, as prophesied by Isaiah.