Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church.
Pentecost
Last updated 2009-06-23
Pentecost
Find the date for Pentecost 2014 in the multifaith calendar
What is Pentecost?
Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church ©
Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is celebrated on the Sunday 50 days after Easter (the name comes from the Greek pentekoste, "fiftieth").
It is also called Whitsun, but does not necessarily coincide with the Whitsun Bank Holiday in the UK.
Pentecost is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church, and the start of the church's mission to the world.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that is the way Christians understand God.
Celebrating Pentecost
Pentecost is a happy festival. Ministers in church often wear robes with red in the design as a symbol of the flames in which the Holy Spirit came to earth.
Hymns sung at Pentecost take the Holy Spirit as their theme, and include:
- Come down O Love Divine
- Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire
- Breathe on me breath of God
- O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us
- There's a spirit in the air
- Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me
Pentecost Symbols
The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a dove.
The first Pentecost
Pentecost comes from a Jewish harvest festival called Shavuot.
The apostles were celebrating this festival when the Holy Spirit descended on them.
It sounded like a very strong wind, and it looked like tongues of fire.
The apostles then found themselves speaking in foreign languages, inspired by the Holy Spirit.
People passing by at first thought that they must be drunk, but the apostle Peter told the crowd that the apostles were full of the Holy Spirit.
Pentecostal Christianity
Pentecost is a special day for any Christian, but it is emphasised particularly by Pentecostal churches. Pentecostal Christians believe in the direct experience of the Holy Spirit by believers during all of their services.
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