When is Orthodox Pentecost Sunday?
Orthodox Pentecost Sunday, also known as Holy Spirit Sunday, is observed seven weeks after Orthodox Easter. The word Pentecost comes from the Greek word ‘pentekostos’ which means the fiftieth day.
The date in the Orthodox church will differ from the Western church due to the different methods of calculating the date of Easter.
Orthodox Pentecost Sunday is also known as 'Kneeling Sunday', as it is tradition not to kneel during prayers in the church from Easter Sunday until Pentecost Sunday.
History of Orthodox Pentecost Sunday
It marks the end of the Easter cycle, that began 92 days before with Orthodox Shrove Monday.
Pentecost Sunday commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames to the Apostles, as recorded in the New Testament in Acts, 2.
The Holy Spirit allowed the apostles to speak in other languages, and they started preaching the word of Jesus to the Jews who come to Jerusalem for the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost). Many Christians recognise this event as the birth of the Church.
The following day, Pentecost Monday, is celebrated as a holiday in some East European counties.
In Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Pentecost can refer to the entire period of the fifty days of Easter through to Pentecost.
In Greece, festivities for Pentecost begin on the Friday or Saturday before the day itself. The Sunday is also known as Trinity Sunday. Public celebrations, which tend to be local and church related – local fairs, for example, are held on the Saturday. The largest churches in cities, villages and islands hold services and the town centres have the biggest and most colourful festivals.
