“‘To become free’ presupposes the discovery of
oneself as a spirit within oneself.
The true spirit in which we can make this
discovery is the universal human spirit, which we recognize as the Pentecostal
power of the Holy Spirit entering into us, and which we must bring to birth in
ourselves and allow to come to manifestation.”
Rudolf Steiner, The Festivals and their
Meanings, 1910.
This year Whitsun will be celebrated on 4 June.
It falls on a different date each year as it is celebrated on the 7th Sunday after Easter, marking 50 days since the final Sabbath of Passover.
The festival is called Whitsun or Pentecost.
Pentecost comes from the Greek word 'Pentekostos', meaning '50'. (50 days after Easter Sunday).
In Britain and Ireland Whitsun or Whit Sunday is the name used, as it is believed it was a day for baptisms when participants would dress in white.
The festival commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the disciples following the death of Jesus Christ.
The 12 apostles were gathered celebrating the festival of Shavout ( a Jewish festival) when 'suddenly there came form heaven a sound as of a violent wind which filled the entire house in which they were sitting;
and there appeared to them tongues as of fire;
these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak different languages as the Spirit gave them power to express themselves"
(Acts 2: 2-4)
(Acts 2: 2-4)
I grew up as a catholic but i don't remember how (if) we celebrated this festival. However the first time i am conscious of it, is when my daughters started KG.
The festival is rich and meaningful.
The simplicity, the purity, the diversity, the individuality, the community, the different languages, the numbers, the elements of air and fire, the 'singleness of heart' and the communion with another individual are some characteristics of this festival.
The dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit and the symbol of peace. The descending dove image becomes a reality when we celebrate the sacredness of the singularity of the individual, when a spark of divine fire shines from each one of us, when the agreement between individuals rests on the ability truly to understand one another.
This year I'm thinking of 2 ways to decorate our table.
One is inspired by the book 'All year round' by Ann Druitt, C. Fynes-Clinton and M. Rowling, and the many years i have decorated our home in this way. There'll be a few white cloths on the table, creating different highs, 12 small candles (tealights are good) standing in a circle and a bigger and taller one in the middle. A bunch of white flowers on a vase and as i won't be able to hang our mobile there i have designed this beautiful felt dove to flutter when the candles underneath are lighted.
The mobile this year is going to be on top of our dinning table.It is a new one, the paper doves have become felt doves spiraling down to earth, dancing with the lightest breeze.
It really looks amazing already.
My family is going to love it on the day.
It really looks amazing already.
My family is going to love it on the day.
The candle holders are made out of needle felted wool, shearing is happening at the moment around here and i wanted to use some of our new washed fleece.
The second way is very different. I am always looking for ways to celebrate these festivals that are right for my daughter's ages and while reading about Pentecost and how people celebrates it, i found a very interesting page that speaks about how red is the color of Pentecost and how is the time to look for the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit, suggesting that 9 red candles on the table could represent them.
The second way is very different. I am always looking for ways to celebrate these festivals that are right for my daughter's ages and while reading about Pentecost and how people celebrates it, i found a very interesting page that speaks about how red is the color of Pentecost and how is the time to look for the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit, suggesting that 9 red candles on the table could represent them.
These 9 fruits are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
I still have a few more days to decide how i'll do it... new ideas keep arriving...
Well, I wish you a great celebration where we are united in our common humanity, where we celebrate and respect our differences in our culture, language, community...
May you have a rich an fulfilling Whitsun Day
Warm wishes, Yolanda
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