Pentecost
(Christian Holiday)

Pentecost is a Christian holiday celebrated on the 7th Sunday and Monday after Easter, marking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the culmination of the mutual love between the Father and the Son, its outpouring; this is the outpouring. The Holy Spirit (Greek: hagion pneuma, Latin: Spiritus Sanctus) was poured out on Jesus’ disciples, the apostles, on this day, giving it new significance for Christians:

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. – Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

History: Pentecost was originally the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which celebrated the Sinai Covenant during the time of Christ. The signs of the event were a roaring wind and fire, symbols of God’s presence and the outpouring of grace. In the Old Testament, the prophets foretold the coming of the New Covenant, before the birth of Christ: "I will make a new covenant with you... I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you... I will put my Spirit in you..." (Ezekiel 36:25-27; 11:19; Jeremiah 31:31)

John the Baptist also prophesied about the Holy Spirit: "Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11). Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and immediately afterward, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove.

Therefore, in Catholic iconography, the Holy Spirit is represented as a dove. The Catholic Pentecost celebration is the fulfillment of the Easter mystery: the coming of the Holy Spirit, the outpouring of its gifts, the new law, and the birth of the Church. Until 1956, there was a vigil for Pentecost, and until 1969, an octave; the Easter season ended with the Saturday after Pentecost.

From 1969 onwards, Pentecost Monday is part of ordinary time. Pentecost Monday is a public holiday in Hungary.