Product Code Database
Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday, also known as Monday of the Holy Spirit, is the holiday celebrated the day after Pentecost, a moveable feast in the Christian liturgical calendar. It is moveable because it is determined by the date of Easter. In the Catholic Church, it is the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, marking the resumption of Ordinary Time.
Whit Monday gets its name from "Whitsunday", an English name for Pentecost, one of the three seasons. The origin of the name "Whit Sunday" is generally attributed to the white garments formerly worn by those newly baptised on this feast.
Whit Monday was a bank holiday in the United Kingdom up until 1964. From 1965 to 1970 it was moved to the last Monday in May on a trial basis. It was then formally replaced by the fixed Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday in May in 1971. Until 1973, Whit Monday was a public holiday in Ireland. It was formally replaced by the fixed June Bank Holiday on the first Monday in June in 1973. Whit Monday was a public holiday in various former British colonies, especially in the Pacific. It remains a public holiday in some of the countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean.
Whit Monday is not a public holiday in the United States, but some US churches organise Whit Monday Prayer meeting, which include prayers and street marches. Historically, Whit Monday used to be one of the major annual holidays in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. From around 1835 to just after the Civil War, Whit Monday was referred to as the "Dutch Fourth of July" in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where people came to eat, drink and be entertained. Whit Monday is not a public holiday in Australia, but church events which observe Whit Monday may include Vespers, Cell group meetings, and Sunday school lessons which focus on teaching children about the origins and the meaning of Whit Monday and Whit Sunday.
In Germany, Whit Monday ( ) is a Holy Day of obligation for Roman Catholics. In France, Whit Monday became a work-day for many workers from 2005 to 2007. This was to raise extra funds following the government's lack of preparation for a summertime heat wave, which led to a shortage of proper health care for the elderly. It continues to be a "worked public holiday" in France. Whit Monday is celebrated in South Tyrol, and for its capital city Bolzano it replaces the holiday of the local patron saint celebrated elsewhere in Italy. In Sweden, Whit Monday was a public holiday until 2004; it was replaced by the National Day of Sweden in 2005. Sveriges riksdag – Svensk författningssamling 1989:253 – "Lag (1989:253) om allmänna helgdagar".
Although Whit Monday is a civil holiday in many countries, it was not a Catholic religious holiday any more than the other weekdays which follow Pentecost Sunday. Until the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, they were part of the octave of Pentecost, which was added in the 7th century. The Monday after Pentecost is now the first day of the resumption of Ordinary Time. While the details differ from diocese to diocese, the most widespread practice in Germany (where the holiday remains an obligation) was to have a compulsory votive Mass of the Holy Spirit, outranking even solemnities (these would be local solemnities in that case).
However, in February 2018, Pope Francis declared that henceforth, Whit Monday will be the fixed date for the celebration of a new feast, officially known as the "Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church" to be celebrated throughout the Latin Church, with the exception of the Ordinariates, where the octave of Pentecost has been restored, and the new Memorial is observed on the Saturday after Ascension Day.
|
|
