Celebrate Pentecost with Food2GoodHealth

Pentecost (Whitsunday) is a major festival in the Christian church. It is celebrated on the Sunday which falls on the 50th day after the Easter festival. It is also known as Whitsunday, or Whit Sunday. 

What Do People do:

In many parts of the world, Pentecost has become a traditional day for baptisms to take place. On this day, many people enjoy family gatherings, picnics, or outings to the country. Pentecost is called "the Green Holiday" in Poland. It is a time when people decorate their houses with green branches to bring blessings on the home and the people living in it. Whitsunday is linked to pagan spring rites, such as the English custom of Morris dancing and the drinking of “Whitsun ale”.

In the United States, Christians share their perspective about the meaning of Pentecost as well as how the diversity of languages and cultures can enhance their worship and fellowship with each another. Christians see Pentecost as an expansion of God's favor and care from Judaism to all peoples. Many churches celebrate Pentecost with a mass or worship service on this day. 

Public life:

Whitsunday is a public holiday in some places around the world, including countries in Europe such as Estonia and Finland. It is not a federal holiday in countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Symbols:

The symbols of Pentecost are those of the Holy Spirit and include flames, wind, the breath of God and a dove. In Estonia and Finland eggs are dyed as at Easter because their hens don’t lay eggs until this time. In Germany the day is called “Pfingsten” and pink and red peonies, called “Whitsun roses”, are the symbols along with the birch trees. The English refer to the holiday as Whitsunday with reference to the white garments worn on Pentecost by the newly baptized.

Some churches lower a carved dove into the congregation and call this “swinging the Holy Ghost”. Cattle are decorated and an overdressed person is said to be “dressed like a Whitsun ox”. A holdover pagan game is called “hunting the green man”, a young man dressed in leaves and moss hides, and children hunt him.

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 Christian Church. The Apostle Peter preached a sermon which resulted in 3,000 people becoming believers.

Customs and Traditions:

White Walks

Christians in some towns and cities have traditionally taken part in Whit Walks. Whitsun was the time for walks and processions. The traditional "Procession of Witness" has long been celebrated throughout the North West.

Bread and Cheese Throwing:
In Gloucestershire, Whit Sunday is often referred to as 'Bread and Cheese Day' because of a very strange custom that takes place on this day.

In St Braivels, Gloucestershire, following evensong on Whit Monday, basketfuls of bread and cheese are thrown from a wall near the old castle, to be scrambled for in a lane below. The locals of St Braivels have been hurling bread and cheese since the 13th century, when the custom began probably as a payment for the villagers' right to cut timber from a nearby wood.

Cheese Rolling:

Gloucester cheese Rolling:
After rolling three double Gloucester cheeses around the church, one is cut up and shared amongst bystanders and the other two are rolled down a steep hill.

Stilton Cheese Rolling:
Teams of four, in bizarre costumes, roll stilton cheese along a 50-yard course. They must not kick or throw the cheeses. The prize is a whole Stilton Cheese, which weighs about 16 pounds, and bottles of port—the traditional accompaniment.

Whitsunday Food Ideas!

Whitsunday can be celebrated with everyone- a get together with food.

In food typical meals of Jesus’ time can be involved with items like chickens, lamb, cheese, carrots, cucumber, nuts, peaches, apples, pears, etc. Sweet things can also be involved as well.

Alternatively you could have general party food. This might include crisps, sandwiches, cakes, carrot sticks, sausage rolls. Some of the things can also be included for example the carrot sticks and having cucumber in a salad, chicken drumsticks and tuna or cheese sandwiches or can even use flatbread instead of sandwiches. 

Cookies or biscuits could also be made for the party but fashioned to look more like flames and then decorated with red, yellow and orange icing.

This is all about Pentecost festival. Food2GoodHealth has created a beautiful page on Whitsunday. You can visit it for further details.