Pentecost – Birth of the Christian Church – in Greece a Three Day Celebration
Dove of peace 1949 by Pablo Picasso
Pentecost (from the Greek ‘pentekostos’, meaning the fiftieth day) is a ‘moveable feast’ celebrated each year on the fiftieth day after Easter and ten days after the Feast of the Ascension of Christ and is always celebrated on a Sunday.
Pentecost, also called Whitsun in Britain, is a celebration of the birth of the Christian church, the church’s Birthday, so to speak, when the Holy Spirit descended to Earth to complete The Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The Old Testament Trinity Andrei Rublev (1360 – 1430) Moscow. Tretyakov Gallery
It is also the first time the Apostles preached their faith to the people.
The Holy Trinity, God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
A three day celebration
In the Greek Orthodox Church Pentecost is a three day celebration a national holiday and second only in importance to Easter.
The first day is known as ‘Trinity Sunday’; the second day, the main celebration, is known as ‘Monday of the Holy Spirit’ and the third day, Tuesday, is called the ‘Third Day of the Trinity’.
Shavuot: The Feast of Weeks
The biblical story found in the book of The Acts of the Apostles, tells of how the Apostles were gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Feast of Shavuot, when suddenly a miracle occurred; the holy Spirit descended to Earth.
The Feast of Weeks, a Jewish holiday which occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan (between May 15 and June 14), is a celebration of the wheat harvest and of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses by God on Mount Sinai.
Shavuot by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim
The Cenacle in Jerusalem is claimed to be the location of the Last Supper and Pentecost, and believed by some, to be the first Christian Church.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
During the celebration of Shavuot, as if out of nowhere, a ferocious rushing wind blew through the crowd and tongues of fire appeared, touching each one of Apostles, filling them with the Holy Spirit and causing them to speak in many tongues, which were, beforehand, unbeknown to them.
The Holy Spirit is always depicted as a dove, symbol of peace and hope, which came to be known as the Eucharistic Dove.
The Holy Spirit, always depicted as a dove
The crowd, amazed to hear The Apostles speaking languages they themselves understood, wondered what all this meant, was it some sort of sign, what did it mean, what were they supposed to do?
Seeing the crowd’s confusion, Peter, stood up and explained to the people about the Old Testament prophecies regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit and about Jesus, his death and his resurrection.
He told them to repent and to baptize themselves in the name of Jesus Christ so their sins may be forgiven and that they too, would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38-39).
The people heeded Peter’s words and on that day, the Monday following Pentecost, now known as Monday of the Holy Spirit; Agiou Pneumatos in Greek, about three thousand people were baptized and continued daily, to meet together as early Christians, to break bread and pray together.
The Descent of the Holy Spirit
The symbols of Pentecost
Allegory of Peace, 1770 Painting Louis Jean Francois Lagrenee
The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a dove.
The icon of the Feast; The Descent of The Holy Spirit, shows the Twelve Apostles seated in a semicircle with the Holy Spirit descending on them in the form of tongues of fire.
At the bottom is an allegorical figure called Kosmos, depicting the world, who is holding a cloth on which have been placed 12 scrolls, representing the teaching of the Twelve Apostles.
Related links:
Saints and Celebrations of the Greek Orthodox Church
