Pentecost

Pentecost (meaning "the 50th day" in Greek), also called Whitsun, Whitsunday, or Whit Sunday in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking areas, is a holiday and season in the Christian liturgical year. It is the 50th day after Easter (and the 10th day after Ascension Thursday). It is to remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the book of Acts in the Bible, as Jesus had promised after he rose from the dead. About 3,000 people were baptized that day which, to many, makes it the real start of the Christian Church.

The Descent of the Holy Spirit in a 15th-century illuminated manuscript. Musée Condé, Chantilly.

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Further reading

• Advent
• Ash Wednesday
• Epiphany (holiday)
• Lent
• Pentecostalism

Other websites

• A collection of Pentecost prayers Archived 2007-06-16 at the Wayback Machine (Roman Catholic)
• Christian Resource Institute Archived 2007-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
• "Pentecost" article from the Catholic Encyclopedia
• "Pentecost" article from the Jewish Encyclopedia
• Secret Conversations with God - Study of Pentecost
• The Feast of Pentecost fulfilment in Sivan of 32 A.D.
• True Pentecost is 50 days from the Sunday following Passover - Not 50 days from Easter.
• Pentecost, Passover and Easter dates: 2000 - 2050
• The Feast of Pentecost: The Firstfruits of God's Harvest Archived 2007-05-14 at the Wayback Machine
• Photographs of Russian Orthodox Pentecost service
• Holy Pentecost Icon and Synaxarion of the Feast (Eastern Orthodox)
• Feast of Pentecost Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
• Explanation of the Feast from the Handbook for Church Servers (Nastolnaya Kniga) by Sergei V. Bulgakov