
A baptismal font. Baptisms are often held on Whit Sunday.
Whit Sunday, also referred to as Whitsunday, Whitsun or simply Whit (meaning "White Sunday", as white garments were worn by those newly baptized on this day), is the name used mostly in the United Kingtom for the annual Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his ascension from earth to heaven on
Ascension Day. It is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after
Easter. Outside the UK Whit Sunday is known as
Pentecost, meaning "fiftieth day", as it is held on the 50th day from the beginning of the Easter season on
Easter Sunday (including Easter Sunday in the counting). Some Christian denominations consider it to be the birthday of the Christian church and celebrate it as such. It can fall as early as May 10th and as late as June 13th.
Whit Sunday is followed by
Whit Monday (
Pentecost Monday, considered to be "the second day of Pentecost"), a public holiday in many countries with Christian traditions. It was the start of a week (especially the first three days) of festivities called Whitsuntide (or Whitweek), which has now largely disappeared.
Further reading:
Whitsun on Wikipedia
2021 calendar as templates for
Word, Excel and PDF
A selection of calendar templates for 2021 in landscape and portrait orientation and with US federal holidays, suitable for a variety of applications.