Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain,[2] and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists,[3] for the Christian holy day of Pentecost. It falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples (as described in Acts 2). In England it took on some characteristics of Beltane, which originated from the pagan celebration of Summer's Day, the beginning of the summer half-year, in Europe.[1]Whitsuntide, the week following Whitsunday, was one of three holiday weeks for the medieval villein;[4] on most manors he was free from service on the lord's demesne this week, which marked a pause in the agricultural year.[5] Whit Monday, the day after Whitsun, remained a holiday in Britain until 1971[6] when, with effect from 1972, the ruling Conservative Government decided to permanently replace it, following a five year trial period, with a Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday in May.
Whit had been the occasion for many varied forms of celebration, and was of significant cultural importance. It was a custom for children to receive a new set of clothes, even among the poorest families, a tradition which continued well into the 20th century.[7][8]
In the North West of England, church and chapel parades called whit walks still take place at this time (sometimes on Whit Friday, the Friday after Whitsun).[9] Typically, the parades include brass bands and choirs; girls attending are dressed in white. Traditionally, Whit fairs (sometimes called Whitsun ales[10]) took place. Other customs, such as Morris dancing, were associated with Whitsun, although in most cases they have been transferred to the Spring bank holiday. Whaddon, Cambridgeshire, has its own Whitsun tradition of singing a unique song around the village before and on Whit Sunday itself.[11]
^ abJones, Prudence; Pennick, Nigel (20 February 1997). A history of pagan Europe. Routledge. p. 124. ISBN 0-415-15804-4. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
^Anon. "High Court Sittings: Law Terms". The Courts Service. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
^The Book of Worship for Church and Home: With Orders of Worship, Services for the Administration of the Sacraments and Other Aids to Worship According to the Usages of the Methodist Church. Methodist Publishing House. 1964. p. 126. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
^The others being Yuletide, the week following Christmas, and Easter Week, the week following Easter that ended at Hocktide (Homans 1991).
^George C. Homans, English Villagers of the Thirteenth Century, 2nd ed. 1991:369.
^Banking and Financial Dealings Act, 1971, Schedule 1, para 1.
^"Whit Monday in the United Kingdom". www.timeanddate.com.
^"The nostalgia column with Margaret Watson". Dewsbury Reporter. May 20, 2017.
^"Whit Friday: Whit Walks". saddleworth.org. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
^Liz Woods. "Feasts and Festivals". feastsandfestivals.blogspot.com.
^Nigel Strudwick. "Reviving the Whaddon Whitsun Song". whaddon.org.
Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian holy day of...
The Whitsun Weddings is a collection of 32 poems by Philip Larkin. It was first published by Faber in the United Kingdom on 28 February 1964. It was a...
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting...
Festival. (Pfingst is Whitsun in the U.K. and Pentecost in the U.S.; the British term is used by the festival's management.) The first Whitsun Concerts centered...
at Whitsun Reef as early as March 7, 2021. The reef is part of the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The Chinese presence at Whitsun Reef...
manorial court day); the lamb-ale (held at lamb-shearing); the Whitsun-ale (held at Whitsun), the clerk-ale, the church-ale etc. The word "bridal" originally...
Whitsun Reef, also known as Whitson Reef, Whitsum Reef, and Julian Felipe Reef (Filipino: Bahura ng Julian Felipe; Mandarin Chinese: 牛轭礁; pinyin: Niú...
English speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere, as Easter cactus or Whitsun cactus and is a widely cultivated ornamental plant. It has received the...
Whit Monday is known as "the second day of Pentecost" or "the second Whitsun". In France, it became a work day for many workers from 2005 to 2007. This...
Octave Pentecost Sunday Whitsun Whit Monday Whit Tuesday Ember days Feast of Christ the Priest Trinity Sunday Feast of Corpus Christi Feast of the Sacred...
Ship (July 1945) The Less Deceived (November 1955, dated October) The Whitsun Weddings (February 1964) High Windows (June 1974) Philip Larkin (1922–1985)...
The Whitsun Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Sandown Park over a distance of 1...
Octave Pentecost Sunday Whitsun Whit Monday Whit Tuesday Ember days Feast of Christ the Priest Trinity Sunday Feast of Corpus Christi Feast of the Sacred...
director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, an extension of the traditional Salzburg Festival, which produces performances during Whitsun (Pentecost) weekend...
of his second collection of poems, The Less Deceived, followed by The Whitsun Weddings (1964) and High Windows (1974). He contributed to The Daily Telegraph...
Octave Pentecost Sunday Whitsun Whit Monday Whit Tuesday Ember days Feast of Christ the Priest Trinity Sunday Feast of Corpus Christi Feast of the Sacred...
Sammy the wayout seal and The Shaggy Dog (1963) Petula Clark presented the Whitsun show With clips from A Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Absent-Minded Professor...
oath. The first meeting of the new chapter was arranged for the following Whitsun. Nothing, however, was to come of the project; as Murimuth comments, "this...
dance often takes place. The festivals may occur on 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected at Midsummer (20–26...
Octave Pentecost Sunday Whitsun Whit Monday Whit Tuesday Ember days Feast of Christ the Priest Trinity Sunday Feast of Corpus Christi Feast of the Sacred...
flowers in white, pink, yellow, orange, red or purple. The Easter cactus or Whitsun cactus, placed in the genus Rhipsalidopsis, is also called a holiday cactus...
engaged to her third cousin Henry, Duke of Normandy. The couple married on Whitsun, 18 May 1152 in Poitiers. Eleanor was crowned queen of England at Westminster...
was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury on the Sunday after Pentecost (Whitsun). His martyrdom may have influenced the popularity of the feast in England...
A week-long festival, the "Gildfest", has occurred in Wildeshausen on Whitsun (German: Pfingsten) since 1403. The Mayor is the General of the Guild....
Octave Pentecost Sunday Whitsun Whit Monday Whit Tuesday Ember days Feast of Christ the Priest Trinity Sunday Feast of Corpus Christi Feast of the Sacred...
Fawkes Night Harvest Festival Lady Day May Day Plough Monday Plough Sunday Whitsun Religion Art Literature Music and performing arts Abbots Bromley Horn Dance...
Global Information