We’ve all seen the traditional cross folded out of a Palm Sunday palm, and probably made one ourselves (… or at least made a valiant attempt!).
But did you know there are other things you can make with your palm from Mass this weekend? And thanks to their religious symbolism, they are fitting for a sacramental like your blessed palm branch.
But before you begin, two quick and important notes!
First, palms can stay fresh in water, but not for long, so if you want to fold your palm into a symbolic shape, do it as soon as possible once you get your palm. Once your palm dries out, it’s not foldable. But it does retain its shape really well; that’s why folding a fresh palm into a permanent shape is so popular!
Second, keep in mind that the palms we receive at Mass are blessed and should not be thrown away in the trash. They can be burned or buried, or you can save it and bring it back to church the following year, where it will be burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday!
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Traditional Cross
Of course, this is a classic for a reason, as this palm folding calls to mind Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and the first Easter. It can be a little tricky if you’ve never done it before, so here is a helpful step-by-step YouTube video (so we can finally pull it off!):
The same tutorial with pictures can be found here, and don’t miss the last step to get your palm cross to lie flat. We like to make the palm crosses in our home and keep them tucked behind religious pictures or on our family prayer table.
You can also find here 10 other ideas for things to do with your Palm Sunday palms.
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Palm Rose
The rose flower has a deep Christian symbolism, recalling in a special way the role of The Blessed Virgin Mary, who bears the title “mystical rose.” Roses also traditionally symbolize love, which reminds us of God since “God is love.”
This tutorial shows how to weave a rosette out of two palms:
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Palm Fish
The fish was an important symbol of Christianity in early Rome, calling to mind many references to Jesus’ life. We might think of his call to the apostles to be “fishers of men,” or his multiplication of the loaves and fishes.
This video shows how to fold a palm leaf into a palm fish:
I hope you enjoy making these simple but meaningful palm folding crafts! Let us know what else you like to do with your palms in the comments.
And today we celebrate...