What is Whitsun?

Answer 1

Whitsun (Old English for "White Sunday") is the forty-ninth day (seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. In the Christian calendar, it is also known as Pentecost -commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples.

Like Easter - this Christian Holiday has it origins in a Jewish celebration. The Apostles were gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost [a day of Thanksgiving for the first fruits of the harvest] and to commemorate the receiving of the Ten Commandments by Moses on Mount Sinai.

Pentecost is also known as Whitsunday and is a major festival in the Christian church. It is celebrated on the Sunday which falls on the 50th day after the Easter festival. The name Pentecost comes from a Greek word which means 'fiftieth'. Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames to the followers of Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament. Jesus had told them to wait until the Spirit came to them. Ten days after Ascension, 50 days after the resurrection, the Spirit came. The festival is often called Pentecost because when the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began to go out and preach about Jesus it was the Jewish festival of Pentecost. Pentecost is recognized as the birth of the Church. The Apostle Peter preached a sermon which resulted in 3,000 people becoming believers. Whit Sunday is a favorite day for baptism. It is thought that because people are often baptized dressed in white, Whit Sunday was probably originally known as 'White Sunday'. Whisuntide is the week following with Whitsunday, which is always the seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday.