How to Make a Palm Bud Cross

Palm crosses are made out of dried palm leaves and are used as decorations during Palm Sunday. They are one of the religious symbols for the Christian holiday of Easter. Palm crosses are used to illustrate the story of Palm Sunday which Christians believe is the start of the Holy Week when Jesus entered Jerusalem before he was crucified and then rose from the dead. Palm crosses can be hung on walls as decorations, placed in picture frames in homes and used as bookmarks.

Things You'll Need

• Palm Fronds
• Scissors

Instructions

Weaving a Palm Cross

1. Remove any hard green edges that are on the dried palm frond. Split the palm down the middle by either cutting it or tearing it with your hands. Set one half of the palm aside.

2. Take the other half of the palm frond and fold it in half. Take your scissors and cut across the fold line. With the two pieces you have just made, form an L shape by placing one end of a palm frond onto the end of the other. The horizontal lower piece should be slightly longer than the vertical piece. Fold the longer part of the frond over the top of the vertical palm. Then fold the vertical palm behind the horizontal piece. Fold the frond over the front so that the vertical palm is back in its starting position. This is the base of the cross.

3. Take the horizontal piece of the L shape and fold it over the vertical piece. Slide the end of the horizontal frond through the base that was made in Step 2, then bring it back around to its starting position.

4. Make a loop with one of the palm strands. Slide the remaining part of the palm, or the end of the looped piece, through the top of the base to hold the loop in place. With the same palm frond, make another loop and slide the remaining part of the palm through the top of the base. Both loops should be the same size.

5. Take the other strand and form a loop and slide the remaining part of the palm through the back of the base. With the same palm frond, form another loop. This one should be longer than the other three as it will form the bottom of the cross. Take the end of the palm and slip it through the back of the base to hold the loop securely. Then cut off the excess parts of the palm strands.

Tips & Warnings

• Always handle scissors and sharp objects with care so that you don't cut yourself or harm others.

References

• Italians R US: Cross Palms
• Origami Resource Center: Palm Weaving

Resources

• Venite A Vedere: Weaving palms on Holy Thursday