Whit Monday
Whit Monday is celebrated on the day after Pentecost every year which marks the end of the 90 days of the Easter Season. That is why it is also known as Pentecost Monday.
There's no fixed date for Whit Monday as the date depends on the beginning of Easter. Whit Monday is not a public holiday, so businesses and schools remain open as usual.
How Did The Whit Monday Origin
It is called Whit Monday because Pentecost is also known as Whit Sunday in English. Since a lot of people get baptized during this season, they wear white clothes and that is where the term 'whit' is derived from.
It is believed that the Holy Spirit visited the apostles on the 50th day after Easter and descended upon them giving them the ability to speak in several languages.
Many believe that the original Pentecost is the birth of the Catholic Church. As they can speak in different languages, Jesus's apostles went to spread the word and teachings of Jesus Christ to different people in different countries.
Although Whit Monday is no longer a public holiday in the United States, it was a major holiday for the Pennsylvania Dutch settlers in America.
Whit Monday was known as the "Dutch Fourth of July", from 1835 to 1865 just after the Civil war.
In the Orthodox Church, the day is known as Holy Spirit Monday and often falls on a different day than the Christian Whit Monday, as the Orthodox Church follows a different calendar.
How Whit Monday is Celebrated
Whit Monday is not a day of obligation for Catholics, but churches around the country will organize prayer rallies, comprising prayers and street processions.
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