Whit Monday
National Holiday observed in several European Countries
| Observed in | |
|---|---|
 Austria |
|
 Belgium |
|
 Denmark |
|
 France |
|
 Germany |
|
 Luxembourg |
|
 Norway |
|
 Switzerland |
|
| Dates | |
| 2008 | May 12 |
| 2009 | June 1 |
| 2010 | May 24 |
| 2011 | June 13 |
| 2012 | May 28 |
| 2013 | May 20 |
| 2014 | June 9 |
Whitsuntide, also known as Pentecost, is observed fifty days (approx. seven weeks) after Easter and 10 days after Ascension. It marks the end of the Easter cycle, that began 90 days ago with Ash Wednesday at the start of Lent.
Until fairly recently, Whit Monday was a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland. Until 1967, it was a bank holiday in the United Kingdom, when it was replaced by the 'spring bank holiday' on the last Monday in May .
It gets its English name for following "Whitsun", the day that became one of the three baptismal seasons.
The name "Whitsunday" is now generally attributed to the white garments formerly worn by the candidates for baptism on this feast.
The day commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames to the Apostles, as recorded in the New Testament in Acts, 2. Many Christians recognize this event as the birth of the Church.
The following day, Whitmonday (Pentecost Monday) is celebrated as a holiday in many European counties.
Whitmonday around the world
Greece
The holiday is celebrated in Greece as Pentecost or Holy Spirit Monday.
France
The whole of Pentecost week used to be a holiday, but after the 1789 revolution only the Monday remained a public holiday.
In 2003, France suffered a heat wave, which resulted in almost 15,000 deaths, mainly elderly people. This prompted the idea of how to increase the funding for additional care for the elderly. In 2005, it was decided to encourage workers to give up one day's holiday - and Lundi de Pentecôte was selected. At first, an encouraging 44% of people gave up the holiday, but this amount diminished over the years; so much so that it was reinstated as a public holiday in 2008, instead the idea now is that each French worker has a 'solidarity day' They can give up a holiday, a vacation day, a compensation day or even seven hours divided up all through the year.
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