Spirits Day, also known as Pentecost Monday, is a public holiday and a public holiday in some countries on the Monday following Holy Trinity Day. Spirits Day is observed fifty days (about seven weeks) after Easter and 10 days after the Ascension of the Lord.
| YEAR | DATE | DAY | HOLIDAY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | June 6 | Mon | Whit Monday |
| 2023 | May 29 | Mon | Whit Monday |
| 2024 | May 20 | Mon | Whit Monday |
| 2025 | the 9th of June | Mon | Whit Monday |
This day marks the end of the Easter cycle, which began 90 days ago with Ash Wednesday at the beginning of Lent.
Until recently, Perfume Day was a public holiday in Ireland. Until 1967 in the United Kingdom, this day was a bank holiday, when the last Monday in May was replaced by "spring bank holiday".
It got its English name for the day following Trinity Day, which became one of three in the baptismal season.
The name "Whitsunday" is currently attributed to the white garment previously worn by baptismal candidates at this festival.
This day marks the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of a flame 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 began to preach the Word of Jesus to the Jews who come to Jerusalem for the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost). Then Saint Peter delivered the first Christian sermon, which led to the conversion and baptism of 3,000 people. Many Christians recognize this event as the birth of the Church.
Based on the fact that the Holy Spirit brings understanding and wisdom to the apostles, some argue that Whitsunday originates in the Anglo-Saxon word wit, which means understanding.
The next day is Whit Monday (Spirits Day) is celebrated as a holiday in many European countries.
The holiday is celebrated in the Orthodox Church as the Day of the Holy Spirit. The date in the Orthodox Church calendar will differ from the Catholic Church due to differences in the methods for calculating the date of Easter.
History
To find out the history of the appearance of this holiday, you need to look into the New Testament. In the book of Acts of the Holy Apostles, in particular, it is told how on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles.
Everything happened, as usual, in Jerusalem, namely in the upper room of Zion, where the apostles were praying at that moment. Suddenly, all this room was filled with an unprecedented noise from the sky, reminiscent of the howling of a strong wind, and it was at that moment that the Holy Spirit descended on each of the worshipers (in the form of tongues of fire). After the incident, the apostles noticed some changes in themselves: they learned to heal the sick, prophesy and speak in different languages (all these gif.webpts were given to the disciples of Christ so that nothing would prevent them from walking the planet and carrying the Word of God to various countries).
Traditions and rituals
Meanwhile, many traditions associated with the Spiritual Day have nothing to do with Christianity. It's all about the pagan roots of this holiday.
So, the Eastern Slavs believed that the earth had a name day on the Spirits, and also that it was filled with a future harvest. In this regard, on Spirits Monday, it was forbidden to “disturb” or “injure” the earth in any way - it was supposed to rest, go to church and pray. Moreover, not only earthwork was prohibited, but also, as in any big church holiday, housework (that is, cleaning, washing, etc.).
However, these are not all the prohibitions. It was also forbidden to swim on the Spirits day and the whole week following it. It was believed that during this period mermaids filled the reservoirs, which could easily drag a disobedient person to the bottom.
But having come up with so many prohibitions, people still found something to do.So, women on Spirits Day had their own honorable mission - they had to "feed the earth" in order to increase its fertility. For this, a "woman's feast" was arranged: in the evening the hostesses went out into the field for a kind of picnic, while periodically they interrupted the meal and began to lay out the brought products on the ground so that she "ate".
In addition, it is known that on Spirits day people "listened to the earth." To do this, they got up very early, even before dawn, went out into the field and put their ears to the soil in the hope that in this predawn hour the earth will tell them some secret of life.
Another tradition of the Spiritual Day is the procession of the cross around the fields (in this way our ancestors wanted to invoke a blessing on Mother Earth). Also, an obligatory item on the festive program in many villages was the consecration of wells (so that they do not dry out in hot weather, and people always have water).
By the way, some of the customs of the Spirit of the Day have survived to this day. For example, until now, special attention is paid to birch branches consecrated on the Trinity: it is customary to take them home to put them near the icons (it is believed that on Spirits Monday, the souls of the dead descend from heaven to earth and sit on the branches of this tree, which is widespread in our latitudes ).
Also, on the Spirits day, they do not forget about the herbs consecrated the day before: they are collected, dried, and then, if necessary, they make decoctions of them and sing them to the sick, so that they recover faster. In general, on Spirits Monday, it has always been customary to collect medicinal plants, since on this day, as it was believed, they have magical powers.
In addition, according to tradition, on Spirits Day, families gather at festive tables, which must include loaves, pies and pancakes. At the same time, these feasts are not always held at home, some prefer to go out with their relatives to nature.
Interesting Facts
Such names of the holiday, as Spirits Monday or Monday of the Holy Spirit, exist only in Orthodoxy. The fact is that Catholics celebrate this holiday not the next day after Trinity, but simultaneously with the Resurrection of Christ (that is, as the name implies, on Sunday).
Our ancestors were sure that summer begins on the Spirits day. Moreover, on this day, the weather was determined for the next six weeks: according to popular beliefs, all these one and a half months the weather will be the same as on Monday of the Holy Spirit.
Spirits day is considered to be a kind of birthday of the Church. To understand why, it is enough to recall the history of the appearance of this holiday: after all, it was on this day that the apostles went around the world to bring the Word of God to all the inhabitants of the planet.
Our forefathers believed that on the eve of Spiritual Monday, the Holy Spirit himself descends from heaven and spreads throughout the earth and even penetrates into homes. Moreover, it was customary among some peoples to take care in advance that the Holy Spirit could get into their homes (usually for this they opened all doors and windows).
Signs on Spirits Day
Spirits day is considered a direct continuation of the Trinity. Its date is sliding - in Orthodoxy, the holiday is celebrated on the 51st day after Easter. Since the date always falls on the first day of the week, it is often referred to as Spirit Monday, or Holy Spirit Monday.
If the Trinity celebrates the Descent of the Holy Spirit to earth and, as a result, the proof of the trinity of God's essence, then on the Spirits day they honor the All-Holy Life-giving Spirit himself.
Folk history will take on Spirits day
Signs on the Spirits Day are truly folk - they originated in Ancient Russia, passed from generation to generation for centuries. Signs improved, changed, responding to changes in the world around them and the lives of those who noticed them. Popular superstitions in our country vary slightly from region to region. We will list those that were common in Central Russia.
Signs of the weather
“Do not trust the warmth until the Spirit of the day” - so our ancestors said.They believed that only after the 51st day after Easter, one could finally not worry about frost - the day of the Spirits brings the long-awaited summer warmth. Let's talk about other weather signs of this holiday:
- what the weather will be on Spirits day - this will last for the next 40 days;
- after the Spirit of the day, the heat sets in the street;
- if it rains on this day, summer and autumn will be warm and sunny.
What can you do on Spirits day
The day after Trinity is an auspicious time for many things, according to popular belief. Here's what they recommend to do on this day:
- go to church for worship;
- light a candle for the peace of the soul of the deceased;
- bring birch branches from the church - it is believed that grace will come with them into the house;
- wash yourself early in the morning with dew, well or (in our reality) tap water - to health and preservation of youth;
- collect herbs and flowers to dry them - they believe that on the Day of Spirits all plants are endowed with special healing powers;
- sincerely and wholeheartedly give gif.webpts to the poor, engage in volunteering and charity;
- young girls can weave wreaths and go to the nearest body of water. Throwing a wreath into the water, they look to see if it drowns. If you stayed on the surface, wait for happiness and quick marriage. If you go to the bottom - to sorrow and disease.
What not to do on Spirits day
Folk omens are often quite harsh. Let's talk about the most common prohibitions on Spirits Day:
- if possible it is better not to work. Spirits Monday is considered a continuation of the Trinity, and it is a sin to work on major holidays;
- do not do household chores, wash dishes, sew, knit - for the same reasons. An exception is cooking;
- under the ban and work in the garden and vegetable garden;
- you cannot sweep the floor, otherwise you can sweep the joy out of the house along with the litter;
- our ancestors believed that you should not run on this day - otherwise you can run away from your own fate, thereby harming yourself;
- you cannot refuse hospitality to anyone, otherwise the money will not be found all year round;
- do not go to the cemetery - you can commemorate the deceased in the church. It is worth visiting the grave on Trinity parental Saturday - the day before Pentecost.
Popular questions and answers
Why is it forbidden to touch the earth on Spirits day?
Superstitions related to the land have arisen a very long time ago, in pre-Christian times. After the Baptism of Russia, they changed little, but they acquired a connection to Christian holidays, in particular, to the Trinity and the Spirit of the Day.
The main one of these superstitions took shape in the proverb: "On the Day of the Spirits, the earth is a birthday girl!" It was believed that the earth was celebrating its birthday, because the sowing work had just ended, and soon there would be a new harvest. And now she needs rest - the peasants did not plow, dig, harrow, or sow on Dukhov Day. They believed that if you break this rule, you can stay for a year without a crop. Therefore, the expression "touch the ground" in this sense is not literal - no one forbids touching the soil with your hands. But working in a garden or a vegetable garden on this day is a bad omen.
Should you fast on Spirits day?
The day of the Holy Spirit does not fall on fasting. Moreover, it is always celebrated on Monday, which means that the traditional abstinence in food, which is observed by believers on Wednesdays and Fridays, is also not needed here. On the festive table, as well as on Trinity, you can put everything - meat, fish, milk. It is worth refraining from overeating and alcohol abuse, as, indeed, on any other day.
Why is it impossible to leave the city limits on Spirits day and all week after Trinity?
This very dense superstition can be considered one of the earliest. In modern realities, it has slightly changed, but our ancestors believed that within 7 days after Trinity, one should not go outside the boundaries of their village or village. And all because they used to believe in the special activity of impure entities at this time. Mermaids, goblin, witches and other undead came out of their holes, trying to get the souls of unlucky travelers.Although evil spirits were not always endowed with negative qualities. For example, in some regions it was believed that on Spirits Day, mermaids go out on land and walk in the fields, saturating the earth with moisture and thereby guaranteeing a rich harvest. Therefore, the peasants stayed at home so as not to frighten away the nervous vermin.
