How to Make a Cross From Palm Leaves

Palm Sunday occurs the Sunday before Easter each year. According to Christian scripture, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem before he was crucified, people in the town laid down their cloaks and palm branches on the ground in front of him. Today, many churches distribute palm leaves to church goers on the Sunday before Easter as a symbol of the event. If you have a palm leaf, you can turn it into a cross with just a few simple steps.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Palm leaf

1. Fold the top palm leaf down, about five inches from the bottom. This area will now be called the "center" of the cross.

2. Fold the leaf again over and to the right of the center, making the point of the leaf point to the right, and leaving about two inches of folded-down leaf at the top of the center.

3. Fold the leaf behind the center portion of the cross, squaring off the area you just folded to the right, to look like one side of the cross.

4. Fold the leaf back toward the center, from the left on top of the center portion, squaring off the area to look like the left side of a cross.

5. Wrap the remaining portion of the leaf around the center of the cross. Once completed, tuck the tip of your leaf under one of the folded areas of the cross.

References

• Christian Crafts: "Palm Leaf Cross Directions"
• Kids Sunday School: "Palm Leaf Cross"