Pentecost

What it is

The name comes from a Greek word meaning fiftieth, and the feast falls on the fiftieth day of the Easter season. Because its date hangs on Easter, it moves from year to year and is never fixed to a calendar date. In Jewish use the same Greek word named Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, kept fifty days after Passover. Early Christians kept the name but worked out the date from Easter instead of Passover, and so a distinct Christian feast slowly appeared.

The Jerusalem story

Acts tells how the followers of Jesus were gathered in one place in Jerusalem for the festival. A sound like a strong wind filled the house, and something like flames, parted into tongues, rested on each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other languages. Peter stood with the eleven and preached, saying the prophecy of Joel had come true. About three thousand people were baptized that day. Crowds from many nations were in the city, and commentators disagree about whether the tongues meant real languages or a kind of ecstatic speech.

How churches keep it

In Orthodox churches the feast runs three days. The first is Trinity Sunday, the second Spirit Monday, and the third is called the Third Day of the Trinity. An All-night Vigil is held on the eve and the Divine Liturgy on the day itself. Green is the colour of the season, so churches and the people in them carry flowers, leaves and branches. A week of Afterfeast follows, when fasting is lifted even on Wednesday and Friday. On the night of the feast a Vespers service adds long prayers by Basil the Great, said with the whole body bowed to the floor.

Rank among the feasts

Pentecost sits high in the Christian year. Orthodox Christians number it among the Great Feasts, second only to Pascha, which is Easter. Roman Catholics keep it as a Solemnity, Lutherans as a Festival, and the Anglican Communion as a Principal Feast. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria counts it among seven Major Feasts of the Lord. Around the liturgies there are processions, shared meals, baptisms, confirmations and ordinations. Folk customs, dancing and spring and woodland rites are also part of the day in various places.

Whit Sunday and Monday

English speakers have long called the day Whitsun or Whit Sunday, and the Monday that follows is Whit Monday; in the Orthodox calendar that same Monday is Spirit Monday. In several European, African and Caribbean countries the Monday after Pentecost is a legal holiday. For the rest of the church year, until preparation for the next Great Lent, each day is named by where it falls in the count from Pentecost. The Apostles' Fast begins on the second Monday after Pentecost and runs to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.

How Pentecost is kept

Churches hold services, and in Orthodox parishes the feast opens with an All-night Vigil on the eve and a Divine Liturgy on the day. Congregations bring flowers, leaves and branches, and the church is dressed in green. On the night, worshippers kneel and touch the floor during long prayers. The three days that follow are Trinity Sunday, Spirit Monday and the Third Day of the Trinity, then a week of Afterfeast without fasting. Elsewhere the day brings processions, shared meals, baptisms, confirmations and ordinations. Folk customs, dancing and spring and woodland rites also belong to the day in many places.

When and where

Pentecost is a moveable feast, so it has no fixed date. Its place in the year is counted from Easter: forty-nine days after Easter Sunday, or fifty days when Easter itself is included. Because Easter shifts, Pentecost shifts too. Western and Eastern churches do not always land on the same day.

Christians keep Pentecost around the world, in Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Old Catholic, Amish and many other churches. The Monday that follows is a legal holiday in a number of European, African and Caribbean countries. In Ireland and the United Kingdom the day is still widely known as Whit Sunday or Whitsun.

What Pentecost means

For many Christians Pentecost is the birthday of the Church: the Spirit came as promised, and the followers of Jesus spoke to a crowd gathered from many nations. Wind and fire stand for the Spirit's power, and the many languages suggest a message meant for all peoples, not one. Orthodox teaching is careful here: it does not call this the Church's birthday, holding instead that the Church existed before creation. The long evening prayers even ask that those in hell be given relief.

Days Pentecost is marked

Pentecost dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

Questions people ask about Pentecost

See also

Holy WeekThe solemn seven days leading to Easter, recalling the final week and Passion of JesusCandlemasA Christian feast of candle blessings marking the end of the Christmas seasonConclaveCardinals sealed in the Sistine Chapel, voting until two thirds agree on a new popeCamino de SantiagoA Christian walking pilgrimage across Europe to the shrine of Saint James in Spain

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• BBC - Gloucestershire - Our Crazy CountyBBC, Article
• BBC - Gloucestershire - Our Crazy CountyBBC, Article

• Pentecost on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.