Tsaghkazard — the Armenian Palm Sunday — celebrates Christ's entry into Jerusalem with blessed willow branches, children's blessings, and the joyful opening of Holy Week.
Tsaghkazard (Ծաղկազարդ) — known in Western Armenian communities as Tsarzardar (Ծառզարդար) — is the Armenian celebration of Palm Sunday, observed on the Sunday before Easter. It commemorates the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem, when crowds greeted him with palm branches. In the Armenian highlands, where palms do not grow, the willow took their place — and so the blessing of willow branches became one of the most beloved and distinctly Armenian rites of the church year.
The name Tsaghkazard means "adorned with flowers," and Tsarzardar means "adorning of trees" — both capturing the moment when spring reaches full bloom. Historically the feast absorbed the spirit of an older springtime celebration of nature's renewal, which is why flowers, budding branches, and greenery are woven through every part of the day.
Tsaghkazard is a moveable feast, always celebrated exactly one week before Easter (Zatik). In 2026 it fell on March 29, and in 2027 it falls on March 21. The date shifts each year with the date of Easter.
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week — the most solemn week of the Armenian church calendar, leading through Holy Thursday and Good Friday to the joy of Easter. In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the altar curtain that has remained closed throughout the forty days of Great Lent is opened on Tsaghkazard, a moment rich with symbolism: the doors of mercy swing open as Christ enters the holy city.
On Palm Sunday evening, churches celebrate the Drnbatsek (Դռնբացէք) service — literally "Open the Doors." The clergy and faithful stand before the closed doors of the church or sanctuary and sing for them to be opened, recalling both Christ's entry into Jerusalem and the wise virgins of the Gospel parable awaiting the bridegroom. It is one of the most theatrical and moving services of the Armenian liturgical year.
Bundles of budding willow branches are blessed during the Divine Liturgy and distributed to the faithful. Families take them home and keep them through the year — placed by icons, over doorways, or in the family Bible — as a sign of blessing and protection.
Tsaghkazard is traditionally the feast of children and youth. Children receive a special blessing in church, echoing the children of Jerusalem who greeted Christ with branches and song.
In many communities, blessed willow twigs are woven into small crowns and wreaths for children to wear — one of the most photographed and cherished sights of the day.
The altar curtain, closed since the start of Great Lent, is opened on Tsaghkazard. The faithful can once again see the altar in its full glory — a visual promise that Easter is near.
The evening "door-opening" service asks that the doors of divine mercy be opened. It formally begins Holy Week and is unique to the Armenian tradition in its form and hymns.
Processions with branches, flowers, and hymns fill Armenian churches worldwide. In the diaspora, parishes from Los Angeles to Beirut celebrate with the same willows their ancestors carried.
In Armenia and across the diaspora, Tsaghkazard remains one of the best-attended services of the year. Families dress children in their finest, willow branches fill the pews, and the mood is one of joyful anticipation — the last celebration before the solemn days of Holy Week and the feast of Easter that follows.
For Armenian families in Los Angeles and beyond, the day often continues with family gatherings and preparations for Easter — dyeing red eggs and baking choreg in the week ahead. Explore more Armenian celebrations throughout the calendar year.
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