Pentecost

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Liturgical year
Western
Advent Christmastide Epiphany Lent Easter season Feast of the Ascension Pentecost Ordinary Time (Kingdomtide)
Eastern
Feast of Cross Nativity Fast Nativity Theophany Great Lent Pascha Pentecost Transfiguration Dormition Protection

Pentecost (Greek πεντηκοστή [ἡμέρα], pentekostē [hēmera], "the fiftieth day") is the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday, which corresponds to the tenth day after Ascension Thursday. It is a feast in the Christian liturgical calendar — symbolically related to the Jewish festival of Shavuot — that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the followers of Jesus on that day, as described in the Book of Acts, Chapter 2. Pentecost is also called Whitsun or Whit Sunday in the UK and other English-speaking areas.

1 The Baptism of the three-thousand
2 Traditions and holidays
3 When is Pentecost?
4 Etymology
5 See Also
6 External links

The Baptism of the three-thousand

According to the Book of Acts, the experience of the Pentecost was shared by all in the large crowd, causing confusion and inspiring fear.

When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language…. Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? …Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" Acts 2:6-12

Then the Apostle Peter, standing with the eleven other apostles, spoke to the crowd. He explained that these strange events had been predicted by the prophet Joel, and that Jesus's coming had been prophesied by David. Peter explained that these events confirmed David's prophesied exaltation of Jesus. Peter then exhorted his listeners to turn to Christ. About three thousand responded to Peter's sermon.

Traditions and holidays

Image:Folio 79r - Pentecostes.jpg

The coming of the Holy Spirit in a 15th century illuminated manuscript.

In Denmark, it is rarely celebrated elaborately. However, it is still celebrated as a public holiday, and the children get the day off from school.
In Italy it was customary to scatter rose petals from the ceiling of the churches to recall the miracle of the fiery tongues; hence in Sicily and elsewhere in Italy Whitsunday is called Pascha rosatum. The Italian name Pascha rossa comes from the red colours of the vestments used on Whitsunday.
In France it was customary to blow trumpets during Divine service, to recall the sound of the mighty wind which accompanied the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
In England the gentry amused themselves with horse races. The Whitsun Ales or merrymakings are almost wholly obsolete in England. At these ales the Whitsun plays were performed.
In Poland the Pentecost is called "the Green Holiday" - people decorate their houses with green branches, which - according to tradition - are said to bring God's blessing upon the home and the people living in it. Another custom, which is slowly becoming rare, is making processions to the fields, where the crops are blessed.
In the the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches, an extraordinary service called the Kneeling Prayer, is served on the night of Pentecost. This is a Vespers service to which are added three sets of long poetical prayers, the composition of Saint Basil the Great, during which everyone makes a full prostration, touching their foreheads to the floor. On Pentecost the Russians carry flowers and green branches in their hands during the services. It ought also to be noted that the week prior to this holiday is known as "green week", during which all manner of plants and herbs are gathered. The Eastern Orthodox church considers the whole week following Pentecost to be an ecclesiastical feast (See Afterfeast).

Photographs of Russian Pentecost service

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot is also associated with greenery. This holiday marks the time when Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai on behalf of the Jewish nation, and tradition holds that Mount Sinai, despite being in the wilderness of the Sinai desert, miraculously sprouted vegetative growth in honor of this occasion.

The following Monday is a holiday in much of Europe. The day is known as Whit Monday in England, Wales, and Ireland, and is also celebrated in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, parts of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Hungary. Since 1967, however, Whit Monday has not been a public holiday in the United Kingdom; the holiday has been moved to the fixed date of the last Monday in May, which sometimes but by no means always coincides with Whit Monday. Whit Monday also ceased to be a statutory holiday in France in 2005, where the abolishment led to strong protests. Also in Sweden Whit Monday is no longer a holiday and June 6 (Swedish National Day) has become a day off.

Whitsunday remains one of the Scottish term days, at which debts are paid and leases traditionally expire, but this Scottish Whitsunday is now always considered to fall on May 15.

Ordinations to the diaconate and priesthood are often held on Pentecost.

Liturgical year
Western
Advent Christmastide Epiphany Lent Easter season Feast of the Ascension Pentecost Ordinary Time (Kingdomtide)
Eastern
Feast of Cross Nativity Fast Nativity Theophany Great Lent Pascha Pentecost Transfiguration Dormition Protection

When is Pentecost?

According to Church tradition Pentecost is always seven weeks after Easter Sunday. It is in mid- to late spring in the Northern Hemisphere and mid- to late autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

The earliest possible date is May 10 as in 1818 and 2285. The latest possible date is June 13 as in 1943 and 2038.

(The Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches observe a different date due to different dates for observing Easter.)

Etymology

^ Pentecost is also known as Whitsun (Whitsun Day) in the UK. The week beginning on Whitsunday is called Whitsuntide (formerly also spelled Whitsontide) or Whitsun Week. In the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), E. Cobham Brewer tells us that the origin of the term flows from Wit or Wisdom Sunday, the day when the Apostles were filled with wisdom by the Holy Ghost.

“This day Witsonday is cald. For wisdom and wit serene fald, Was zonen to the Apostles as this day.” Cambr. Univer. MSS., Dd. i. 1, p. 234.

“This day is called Wytsonday because the Holy Ghost brought wytte and wysdom into Christis disciples … and filled them full of ghostly wytte.” — In die Pentecostis (printed by Wynken de Worde).

However, it has also been suggested that "Whitsun" means simply "white Sunday"[1].

In the Christian tradition, the Holy Wisdom of God (Hagia Sophia in Greek) is a divine attribute in which new Christians share to some degree through the sacrament of Confirmation, when they receive the Holy Spirit and share in Pentecost. Many churches are dedicated to it, the most famous being Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Constantinople). It is sometimes associated with a sainted martyr of the same name, Saint Sophia, whose daughters are Faith, Hope and Charity. Many icons depict the four together (an example is available here).

The Christian term "Pentecost" simply means "fiftieth" in the Greek language.

Pentecost

Contents

The Baptism of the three-thousand

Traditions and holidays

When is Pentecost?

Etymology

See Also