What date is Pentecost 2018, what is Whitsun and is the Christian observance a bank holiday?

IT is a time of year which marks the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus' disciples.

It is more commonly known as Whitsun for those who are not religious - and there is some confusion over whether it means a day off work. Here's what you need to know.

When is Whitsun 2018 and is it a UK bank holiday?

In 2018, Whitsun is on Sunday, May 20.

Whitsun is the seventh Sunday after Easter and is the name for the Christian festival of Pentecost.

It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples.

Whit Monday follows Whitsun, which falls this year on Monday, May 21, 2018.

This date used to be a bank holiday in the United Kingdom, but in 1967 it was replaced by a fixed bank holiday on the last Monday of May.

This year, the bank holiday at the end of May falls on Monday, May 28, 2018.

What is Pentecost?

Pentecost is a Christian holiday celebrated 50 days after Easter.

It marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and followers of Jesus Christwhile they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks.

It’s also referred to as Whitsun - a shortening of White Sunday - and is seen as the birth of the Christian church.

The festival is a happy one, with ministers in church often wearing robes with red in the design to symbolise the flames in which the Holy Spirit came to earth.

When was the first Pentecost and what’s the history behind the celebration?

The Biblical story says that the apostles were celebrating the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot when the Holy Spirit descended upon them.

This event sounded like a very strong wind, and looked like tongues of fire.

The apostles began to speak in foreign languages, which were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Those who passed them by presumed they were drunk, but the apostle Peter told the crowd that they were full of the Holy Spirit.

What is the Holy Spirit?

Christians believe that God is three persons in one - God the father, Jesus the son and the Holy Spirit.

This is known as the trinity - one God in three divine persons.

The Holy Spirit, also sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost, appears at the baptism of Jesus in the form of a dove in the gospels in the Bible.

The Spirit descended on Jesus' followers after he had risen from the dead and gone back to heaven - this is the time of Pentecost.

This event is written about in the book of Acts in the Bible and described as tongues of fire.

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