Pentecost

=== Western churches ===
[[File:Duccio di Buoninsegna 018.jpg|thumb|alt=A typical Western image of the Pentecost. [[Duccio di Buoninsegna]] (1308) [[Tempera]] on wood.| A typical Western image of the Pentecost. [[Duccio di Buoninsegna]] (1308).]]
The liturgical celebrations of Pentecost in [[Western Christianity|Western churches]] are as rich and varied as those in the East. The typical image of Pentecost in the West is that of the [[Virgin Mary]] seated centrally and prominently among the disciples with flames resting on the crowns of their heads. Occasionally, parting clouds suggesting the action of the "mighty wind",<ref name="bibleverse|Acts|2:2|KJV" /> rays of light and the Dove are also depicted. the Western iconographic style is less static and stylized than that of the East, and other very different representations have been produced, and, in some cases, have achieved great fame such as the Pentecosts by [[Titian]], [[Giotto]], and [[el Greco]].

[[Paul of Tarsus|St. Paul]] already in the 1st century notes the importance of this festival to the [[early Christian]] communities. (See: {{bibleref2|Acts|20:16}} & {{bibleref2|1 Corinthians|16:8}}) Since the lifetime of some who may have been eyewitnesses, annual celebrations of the descent of the Holy Spirit have been observed. Before the [[Second Vatican Council]] [[Whitmonday|Pentecost Monday]] as well was a [[Holy Day of Obligation]] during which the Catholic Church addressed the newly baptized and confirmed. After the council, Pentecost Monday is no longer solemnized.

Pentecost Monday remains an official festival in many Protestant churches, such as the (Lutheran) [[Church of Sweden]], the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland]], and others. In the [[Greek Byzantine Catholic Church|Byzantine Catholic Rite]] Pentecost Monday is no longer a [[Holy Day of Obligation]], but rather a simple [[holiday]]. In the Extraordinary Form of the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, as at Easter, the [[Ranks of Catholic liturgical days|liturgical rank]] of Monday and Tuesday of Pentecost week is a Double of the First Class<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15614b.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Pentecost |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1912-10-01 |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref> and across many Western denominations, Pentecost is celebrated with an [[Octave (liturgical)|octave]] culminating on [[Trinity Sunday]]. However, in the modern Roman Rite (Ordinary Form), Pentecost ends after Evening Prayer on the feast day itself, with [[Ordinary Time]] resuming the next day.

[[File:Pentecost 01.jpg|thumb|The Pentecost depicted in a 14th-century [[Missal]]]]

Marking the festival's importance, as the principal feast of the church and the fulfilment of Christ's purpose in coming into the world, namely bringing the Holy Spirit which had departed with Adam and Eve's fall, back into the world, all 33 following Sundays are "Sundays after Pentecost" in the Orthodox Church. In several denominations, such as the Lutheran, Episcopal, and [[United Methodist]] churches, and formerly in the Roman Catholic Church, all the Sundays from the holiday itself until [[Advent]] in late November or December are designated the 2nd, 3rd, Nth, Sunday after Pentecost, etc. Throughout the year, in Roman Catholic piety, Pentecost is the third of the [[Glorious Mysteries]] of the [[Rosary|Holy Rosary]], as well as being one of the [[Stations of the Resurrection]] or Via Lucis.

In some [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] and [[Pentecostal]] churches, where there is less emphasis on the [[liturgical year]], Pentecost may still be one of the greatest celebrations in the year, such as in [[Germany]] or [[Romania]]. In other cases, Pentecost may be ignored as a holy day in these churches. In many evangelical churches in the United States, the secular holiday, [[Mother's Day]], may be more celebrated than the biblical feast of Pentecost.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.churchyear.net/pentecost.html |title=Pentecost: All About Pentecost (Whitsunday)! |publisher=ChurchYear.net |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref> Some evangelicals and Pentecostals are observing the liturgical calendar and observe Pentecost as a day to teach the [[Gifts of the Holy Spirit]].{{clarify|Note that this says just the opposite of the first sentence|date=December 2012}}

Across denominational lines Pentecost has been an opportunity for Christians to honor the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and celebrate the birth of the Christian Church in an [[ecumenical]] context.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.themint.org.uk/yPhoto086_PentecostPicnic2009.html |title=Pentecost Picnic 2009 |publisher=Themint.org.uk |access-date=2010-05-17}} {{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==== Red symbolism ====
[[File:Pentecost Altar.jpg|thumb|A Protestant church altar, decorated for Pentecost with red burning candles and red banners and altar cloth depicting the movement of the Holy Spirit]]
The main sign of Pentecost in the West is the colour red. It symbolizes joy and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Priests or ministers, and choirs wear red [[vestments]], and in modern times, the custom has extended to the [[laity|lay people]] of the congregation wearing red clothing in celebration as well. Red banners are often hung from walls or ceilings to symbolize the blowing of the "mighty wind"<ref name="bibleverse|Acts|2:2|KJV">{{bibleverse|Acts|2:2|KJV}}</ref> and the free movement of the Spirit.<ref>{{bibleverse|John|3:8|KJV}}</ref>

In some cases, red fans, or red handkerchiefs, are distributed to the congregation to be waved during the procession, etc. Other congregations have incorporated the use of red balloons, signifying the "Birthday of the Church". These may be borne by the congregants, decorate the sanctuary, or released all at once.

==== Flowers, fruits, and branches ====
[[File:Protestant Altar Pentecost Red Flowers Green Birch.jpg|thumb|alt=A Protestant church altar and font, decorated for Pentecost with red flowering plants and green birch branches|A Protestant church altar and font, decorated for Pentecost with red flowering plants and green birch branches]]
The celebrations may depict symbols of the Holy Spirit, such as the dove or flames, symbols of the church such as [[Noah's Ark]] and the [[Pomegranate]], or especially within Protestant churches of [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] and [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] traditions, words rather than images naming for example, the [[Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit|gifts]] and [[Fruits of the Spirit]]. Red flowers at the altar/preaching area, and red flowering plants such as [[geraniums]] around the church are also typical decorations for Pentecost masses/services.<ref name="stcatherineofsweden1"/>

These symbolize the renewal of life, the coming of the warmth of summer, and the growth of the church at and from the first Pentecost.<ref name="stcatherineofsweden1">{{cite web |url=http://www.stcatherineofsweden.org/BULLETIN.htm |title=St. Catherine of Sweden Roman Catholic Church – Bulletin |publisher=StCatherineofSweden.org |access-date=2010-05-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829002010/http://www.stcatherineofsweden.org/BULLETIN.htm |archive-date=2009-08-29 }}</ref> In the southern hemisphere, for example, in southern Australia, Pentecost comes in the mellow autumntide, after the often great heat of summer, and the red leaves of the poinsettia have often been used to decorate churches then.

These flowers often play an important role in the ancestral rites, and other rites, of the particular congregation. For example, in both Protestant and Catholic churches, the plants brought in to decorate for the holiday may be each "sponsored" by individuals in memory of a particular loved one, or in honor of a living person on a significant occasion, such as their [[Confirmation]] day.<ref name="stcatherineofsweden1" />

In [[German language in Europe|German-speaking]] and other [[Central Europe]]an countries, and also in overseas congregations originating from these countries through migration, green branches are also traditionally used to decorate churches for Pentecost. [[Birch]] is the tree most typically associated with this practice in Europe, but other species are employed in different climates.{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}}

==== Lowering of doves ====
[[File:St.Peter und Paul in Söll - Heilig-Geist-Loch.jpg|thumb|Holy Ghost hole, Saints Peter and Paul Church in [[Söll]]]]
In the [[Middle Ages]], cathedrals and great churches throughout Western Europe were fitted with a peculiar architectural feature known as a [[Holy Ghost hole]]: a small circular opening in the roof that symbolized the entrance of the Holy Spirit into the midst of the congregation. At Pentecost, these Holy Ghost holes would be decorated with flowers, and sometimes a dove figure lowered through into the church while the narrative of Pentecost was read. Holy Ghost holes can still be seen today in European churches such as [[Canterbury Cathedral]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 2012|title=Seeing red, and other symbols of Pentecost - On The Way e-zine|url=http://www.ontheway.us/may-2012/seeing-red-and-other-symbols-of-pentecost|access-date=2021-12-02|website=www.ontheway.us|quote=In the Middle Ages, cathedrals and great churches were built with a peculiar architectural feature called the Holy Ghost hole, a small portal in the roof through which the Holy Spirit could descend to reside among the assembled worshippers. As part of the Pentecost celebration, the hole was adorned with flowers and often a lowly servant on the cathedral roof would lower the figure of a dove through the roof into the nave of the church while the Acts account of Pentecost was read. England's Canterbury Cathedral, Mother Church of the Anglican Communion, is one church where a Holy Ghost hole can be seen today.|archive-date=2021-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228211404/http://ww38.ontheway.us/may-2012/seeing-red-and-other-symbols-of-pentecost|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Similarly, a large two dimensional dove figure would be, and in some places still is, cut from wood, painted, and decorated with flowers, to be lowered over the congregation, particularly during the singing of the [[sequence (poetry)|sequence hymn]], or ''[[Veni Creator Spiritus]]''. In other places, particularly [[Sicily]] and the [[Italy|Italian peninsula]], [[Rosalia (festival)#Rose Sundays|rose petals]] were and are thrown from the galleries over the congregation, recalling the tongues of fire. (see [[#Rosalia|below]]) In modern times, this practice has been revived, and adapted as well, to include the strewing of [[origami]] doves from above or suspending them, sometimes by the hundreds, from the ceiling.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ecva.org/congregations/resources/trinity_bloomington_pentecost/trinity_pentecost.htm |title=The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts |publisher=Ecva.org |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref>

==== Hymns and music ====
The singing of Pentecost hymns is also central to the celebration in the Western tradition. Hymns such as [[Martin Luther]]'s "[[Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott]]" (Come, Holy Spirit, God and Lord),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh2.html |title=200–299 TLH Hymns |publisher=Lutheran-hymnal.com |access-date=2010-05-17 |archive-date=2020-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813020306/http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/lyrics/tlh224.htm |title=Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord |publisher=Lutheran-hymnal.com |access-date=2010-05-17 |archive-date=2011-07-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714002912/http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/lyrics/tlh224.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Charles Wesley]]'s "Spirit of Faith Come Down"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hymnsite.com/lection/cpe01.htm |title=HymnSite.com's Suggested Hymns for the Day of Pentecost (Year C) |publisher=Hymnsite.com |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/s/p/spifaith.htm |title=Spirit of Faith, Come Down |publisher=Hymntime.com |access-date=2010-05-17 }} {{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and "Come Holy Ghost Our Hearts Inspire"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/c/o/comehgoh.htm |title=Come, Holy Ghost, Our Hearts Inspire |publisher=Hymntime.com |access-date=2010-05-17 }} {{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> or [[Hildegard von Bingen]]'s "O Holy Spirit Root of Life"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hymnsite.com/fws/hymn.cgi?2121 |title=O Holy Spirit, Root of Life |publisher=Hymnsite.com |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hymnary.org/text/o_holy_spirit_root_of_life |title=Texts > O Holy Spirit, root of life |publisher=Hymnary.org |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref> are popular. Some traditional hymns of Pentecost make reference not only to themes relating to the Holy Spirit or the church, but to folk customs connected to the holiday as well, such as the decorating with green branches.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hymnary.com/ccel/aaberg/hymnsdenmark.c15.html |title=Hymns and Hymnwriters of Denmark &#124; Christian Classics Ethereal Library |publisher=Hymnary.com |date=2009-08-11 |access-date=2010-05-17 |archive-date=2021-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228211405/https://hymnary.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other hymns include "Oh that I had a Thousand Voices" ("''O daß ich tausend Zungen hätte''")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/o/t/othatiha.htm |title=O That I Had a Thousand Voices |publisher=Hymntime.com |access-date=2010-05-17 }} {{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ingeb.org/spiritua/odassich.html |title=O daß ich tausend Zungen hätte gospel christian songs free mp3 midi download |publisher=Ingeb.org |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref> by German, Johann Mentzer Verse 2: "''Ye forest leaves so green and tender, that dance for joy in summer air''…" or "O Day Full of Grace" ("''Den signede Dag''")<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lutheranhymnal.com/lutheranworship/lutheranworship0mo.html |title=Lutheran Worship Online Hymnal – section MO |publisher=Lutheranhymnal.com |access-date=2010-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714002901/http://www.lutheranhymnal.com/lutheranworship/lutheranworship0mo.html |archive-date=2011-07-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> by [[Kingdom of Denmark|Dane]], [[N. F. S. Grundtvig]] verse 3: "''Yea were every tree endowed with speech and every leaflet singing''…".

As Pentecost closes the Easter Season in the Roman Catholic Church, the dismissal with the double alleluia is sung at the end of Mass.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/zlitur216.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-05-31 |archive-date=2017-07-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726151442/http://ewtn.com/library/Liturgy/zlitur216.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Paschal Candle is removed from the sanctuary at the end of the day.
In the Roman Catholic Church, [[Veni Sancte Spiritus]] is the [[Sequence (poetry)|sequence hymn]] for the Day of Pentecost. This has been translated into many languages and is sung in many denominations today. As an invocation of the Holy Spirit, [[Veni Creator Spiritus]] is sung during liturgical celebrations on the feast of Pentecost.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/a/u/maurus_r.htm |title=Rhabanus Maurus |publisher=Hymntime.com |access-date=2010-05-17 |archive-date=2011-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712233538/http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/a/u/maurus_r.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15341a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Veni Creator Spiritus |publisher=Newadvent.org |date=1912-10-01 |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref>

Trumpeters or [[brass instrument|brass ensembles]] are often specially contracted to accompany singing and provide special music at Pentecost services, recalling the Sound of the mighty wind.<ref name="bibleverse|Acts|2:2|KJV" /> While this practice is common among a wide spectrum of Western denominations (Eastern Churches do not employ instrumental accompaniment in their worship) it is particularly typical, and distinctive to the heritage of the [[Moravian Church music|Moravian]] Church.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moravianmusic.org/ |title=Moravian Music Foundation |publisher=MoravianMusic.org |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref>

Another custom is reading the appointed Scripture lessons in multiple foreign languages recounting the speaking in tongues recorded in {{bibleref2|Acts|2:4–12}}.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/todancewithgodfa00nels |url-access=registration |title=To Dance With God: Family Ritual and Community Celebration |page=[https://archive.org/details/todancewithgodfa00nels/page/193 193] |first=Gertrud Muller |last=Nelson |year=1986 |publisher=Paulist Press |isbn=978-0-8091-2812-9 |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref>

==== Fasting and devotions ====
For some [[Protestants]], the nine days between [[Ascension Day]], and Pentecost are set aside as a time of [[fasting]] and universal prayer in honour of the disciples' time of prayer and unity awaiting the Holy Spirit. Similarly among [[Roman Catholics]], special Pentecost [[novenas]] are prayed. The Pentecost Novena is considered the first novena, all other novenas prayed in preparation of various feasts deriving their practice from those original nine days of prayer observed by the disciples of Christ.

While the Eve of Pentecost was traditionally a day of fasting for Catholics, contemporary [[canon law]] no longer requires it. Both Catholics and Protestants may hold spiritual [[retreats]], prayer [[vigil]]s, and [[litanies]] in the days leading up to Pentecost. In some cases vigils on the Eve of Pentecost may last all night. Pentecost is also one of the occasions specially appointed for the Lutheran Litany to be sung.<ref>{{cite web |author=(P. Drews.) |url=http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc06/htm/iii.lxxiv.xvi.htm |title=Litany |publisher=Ccel.org |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref>

On the morning of Pentecost, a popular custom is "to ascend hill tops and mountains during the early dawn of Whitsunday to pray. People call this observance 'catching the Holy Ghost.' Thus they express in symbolic language the spiritual fact that only by means of prayer can the divine Dove be 'caught' and the graces of the Holy Spirit obtained."<ref name="Wesier1956">{{cite book |last1=Weiser |first1=Francis X. |title=The Holyday Book |date=1956 |publisher=Harcourt, Brace and Company |pages=44–45}}</ref>

Another custom is for families to suspend "artfully carved and painted wooden doves, representing the Holy Spirit" over the dining tables as "a constant reminder for members of the family to venerate the Holy Spirit."<ref name="Wesier1956"/> These are left hanging year-round and are cleaned before the feast of Pentecost, often being "encased in a globe of glass".<ref name="Wesier1956"/>

On the vigil of Pentecost, a traditional custom is practiced, in which "flowers, fields, and fruit trees" are blessed.<ref name="Wesier1956"/>

==== Sacraments ====
From the early days of Western Christianity, Pentecost became one of the days set aside to celebrate [[Baptism]]. In Northern Europe Pentecost was preferred even over Easter for this rite, as the temperatures in late spring might be supposed to be more conducive to outdoor [[immersion baptism|immersion]] as was then the practice. It is proposed that the term [[Whit Sunday]] derives from the custom of the newly baptized wearing white clothing, and from the white vestments worn by the clergy in [[Sarum Rite|English liturgical uses]]. The holiday was also one of the three days each year (along with [[Christmas]] and [[Easter]]) Roman Catholics were required to [[confession (religion)|confess]] and receive [[Holy Communion]] in order to remain in good ecclesiastical standing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06278a.htm |title=Catholic Encyclopedia: Frequent Communion |publisher=Newadvent.org |access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=November 2022}}

Holy Communion is likewise often a feature of the Protestant observance of Pentecost as well. It is one of the relatively few Sundays some [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] denominations may offer the communion meal, and is one of the days of the year specially appointed among [[Moravian Church|Moravians]] for the celebration of their Love Feasts. [[Ordinations]] are celebrated across a wide array of Western denominations at Pentecost, or near to it. In some denominations, for example the [[Lutheran]] Church, even if an ordination or consecration of a [[deaconess]] is not celebrated on Pentecost, the [[liturgical color]] will invariably be red, and the theme of the service will be the Holy Spirit.

Above all, Pentecost is a day to hold [[Confirmation]] celebrations for youth. Flowers, the wearing of white robes or white dresses recalling Baptism, rites such as the [[laying on of hands]], and vibrant singing play prominent roles on these joyous occasions, the blossoming of Spring forming an equal analogy with the blossoming of youth.