The feast of Pentecost
The feast of Pentecost is celebrated in the Christian church
on the seventh Sunday, the fiftieth day after Easter. It is based
on the statement in the
Bible that the effusion of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles took
place while they were celebrating the old Jewish Shabouth festival
whereupon they founded the first Christian parish.
Prior to this event there was no Christian church. The Apostles
were members of a Jewish sect which - in expectation of the Messiah
- claimed to have the only true belief. After Jesus had risen
from the dead three days after crucifixion and appeared before
them, they thought they could be certain that he was the announced
Messiah. This is how they finally split up with Judaism which
continues to hope for the Messiah's appearance, and - together
with those people following their belief - they became Christians.
In the ancient Christian church, people were baptized at Whitsun,
as one assumed that the Holy Spirit would also come down upon
the person to be baptized. People wore white clothes as a symbol
of purity on that day. This led to the English name of White
Sunday = Whitsun. The German word "Pfingsten" is derived
from the Greek word "pentecoste" - the fiftieth. The
feast of Shabouth - a harvest festival (thanksgiving day) for
the first spring crop in the Hebrew month of Niwan - was celebrated
on the fiftieth day after the Jewish Passsover in May June. The
Christian church has kept up this time schedule.
Whitsun is mixed with old heathen customs in various regions
all over the world, such as the German customs of fixing fresh
birch brushwood to front doors; the so-called "Whitsun Ride-out",
or driving cattle to Alpine summer pastures.
Nowadays, many people use the Whitsun festival to go on excursions,
visit relatives and friends and send greeting cards.
Günter Garbrecht
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The feast of Pentecost
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