The Palm Branch is a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life from the ancient world near the east and the Mediterranean. The Palm of the Hand (Phoenix) was sacred in the religions of Mesopotamn, and in ancient Egypt it represented immortality. In Judaism, the Lulav, a closed Frond of the date palm tree is part of the Sukkot Festival. A Palm branch was bestowed upon the victorious athletes in ancient Greece, and a frond palm or tree itself is one of the most common attributes of victory personified in ancient Rome.
In Christianity, the Palm branch is associated with the triumphal entry of Jesus on the Sunday of the branches, when, according to the Gospel of John, “They took palm branches and went out to meet him ” (12:13 HCSB). Consequently, the palms of the hands are not mentioned in any of the other three canonical accounts of the Gospel. The Tree of the palm seems to have been adopted in the Christian iconography to represent the victory, that is to say, that of the martyrs, or the victory of the Spirit on the flesh.
Since a victory points to the end of a conflict or competition, the palm tree has become a symbol of peace, a meaning it can have in Islam, where it is often associated with paradise.
The Palm tree appears in several flags or stamps representing countries or other places, with coconut palm associated with the tropics.
