My vicar mentioned during his sermon this morning (I was at one of the two early services today and so missed the “Church Birthday” cake which my friend made for the main mid-morning service) that Pentecost has undertaken Ascension as the least well known and publicised of the Church’s festivals.
This corresponded with something I have been thinking about for a few days due to two slight items in The Local and the Copenhagen Post about events this weekend.
Whitsun is the Sunday 50 days after Easter. This Woodlands Junior School in Kent website is a brilliant resource for all sorts of stuff on British culture and deserves a credit. Their explanation of Whitsun is as good if not better than I could put it.
Pentecost celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames to the followers of Jesus, as recorded in the New Testament. Jesus had told them to wait until the Spirit came to them. Ten days after ascension, 50 days after the resurrection, the Spirit came.
Ascension Day marks the last appearance of Jesus to the disciples after his resurrection at Easter,
Pentecost is recognised as the birth of the Christian Church. (Hence the cake) The Apostle Peter preached a sermon which resulted in 3,000 people becoming believers.
Whit Sunday is a favourite day for baptism. It is thought that because people are often baptised dressed in white, Whit Sunday was probably originally known as 'White Sunday'.
And there was a baptism at the mid morning service today.
Whitsun weekend used to be a bank holiday so we got the Monday off, and it was usually half term for schools. Since the May Day bank holiday (the first Monday of May) Whitsun became relegated to the last week of May, or first weekend of June and called “Spring Bank Holiday.” With an early Easter this year the schools broke for their Easter holiday over two weeks after the event. Half term is not until the end of the month.
I referred to the bank holiday as Whitsun at work last year. The youngsters looked at me like I was talking gibberish (again!). A colleague of my own age said that only our generation, or those brought up properly knew what and when Whitsun was.
Except it is being celebrated in Germany and Denmark. The Local (Germany) has an on line survey – how are you spending the Whitsun weekend? The options being church or barbeque, although I personally don’t see why you can’t do both. With Church Birthday cake for afters.
With summery weather forecast to continue throughout the long holiday weekend, expect a radiant Whitsun Carnival in Copenhagen this weekend.
I hope they all enjoy themselves. I was impressed with this news from the Copenhagen Post last month about young people and confirmation in Denmark.
Approximately 72 percent of the nation's confirmation-age young people - 50,452 - received the sacrament in 2007.
'Students aren't as judgemental about religion or as ashamed of admitting they believe in God as were previous generations,' CUD's Suzette Munksgaard told Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper. 'And they clearly don't have any problem with others knowing they believe.'
Jens Christian Nielsen of the Centre for Youth Research said young people's prioritising of the meaningful side of confirmation is due to the school system having raised them to have solid reasons for their choices. 'They don't just decide to be confirmed, they also want to know why they're doing it,'
It is lovely weather in the UK at the moment and I hope everybody, everywhere enjoys the day.
