Difference between Whitsunday and Pentecost

What is the difference between Whitsunday and Pentecost?

Whitsunday as a noun is the sunday of the feast of pentecost, seven weeks after easter, when traditionally many christians would be baptised, wearing white clothes while Pentecost as a noun is a jewish festival (also known as shavuot, the feast of weeks) seven weeks after the feast of firstfruits or yom habikkurim, originally a harvest festival but, since the destruction of the temple, also commemorating the anniversary of the giving of the ten commandments to moses and the israelites at mount sinai. [see wikipedia article on shavuot for further information on, and chronology of, these feasts.]

Whitsunday

Part of speech: noun

Definition: The Sunday of the feast of Pentecost, seven weeks after Easter, when traditionally many Christians would be baptised, wearing white clothes A quarter day, falling on 15th May

Pentecost

Part of speech: proper noun

Definition: A Jewish festival (also known as Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks) seven weeks after the feast of Firstfruits or Yom Habikkurim, originally a harvest festival but, since the destruction of the Temple, also commemorating the anniversary of the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. [See Wikipedia article on Shavuot for further information on, and chronology of, these feasts.]The particular (Jewish) Pentecost 49 days (inclusive) after the resurrection of Jesus on the (Jewish) Day of First Fruits, when (in Christian teaching) the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles with miraculous effects including the ability to explain the Gospel intelligibly in languages they did not know; or a similar occasion since.Christian festival (also known as Whitsun or Whitsunday), which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles (see above definition).

We hope you now know whether to use Whitsunday or Pentecost in your sentence.

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