Newcomers to Germany are often surprised by the number of public holidays in spring. Pentecost is one of them, but its significance is not widely known.

In Germany, spring is dotted with public holidays rooted in Christian tradition: Good Friday and Easter (the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ), Ascension (Christ's ascent into heaven), and Pentecost (considered the birthday of the Christian Church).

Also known as Whitsun, Pentecost marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Mary, and other followers of Christ, 50 days after Easter. The name comes from a Greek word meaning "fiftieth."

Though important for Christians, the holiday has Jewish origins. The followers of Christ had gathered in Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), a harvest festival also commemorating the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses.

"The disciples were a bit lost after the death and resurrection of Jesus and then after the Ascension," said Reverend Aljona Hofmann, a pastor at Berlin's Protestant Gethsemane Church. "They didn't know what to do next. They'd had such a good time with Jesus, who was no longer within reach, and they had withdrawn to a house in Jerusalem. And then the Holy Spirit came upon them, this power of God that simply came over them and they felt a kind of vitality, a kind of strength that they had lost."

That strength inspired them to share their experiences. "It was actually a miracle of understanding," Hofmann told DW. "They all spoke their own language, yet they could still understand each other."

According to the biblical account, the disciples went out to the streets and attracted a large crowd, inspiring about 3,000 people to be baptized as followers of Christ — the first steps toward an organized church.

Pentecost is celebrated in all Christian faiths. In more than 30 countries, it's a public holiday, which non-believers simply enjoy as a day off in spring.

The color associated with Pentecost is red, symbolizing the joy and fire of the Holy Spirit. In Italy, this is taken further with roses: petals are often scattered from church ceilings. At the Pantheon in Rome, firefighters let thousands of rose petals fall through the oculus at the end of the Pentecost Mass.

Some Baroque churches in Austria, southern Germany, and France have "Holy Ghost Holes" in their ceilings, symbolizing the descent of the Holy Spirit. Some churches also lower a dove figurine through the hole, the dove being the primary symbol of the Holy Spirit.

These traditions attempt to make abstract concepts more tangible. That abstract quality may be why Pentecost is less well-known. "It's a festival where you don't have anything tangible. How do you describe a ghost?" said Hofmann. "Christmas is very figurative: A child is born. That's familiar. Resurrection is more difficult, but the egg helps. But a spirit, how do you explain that?"

Additionally, Pentecost lacks secular traditions that lend themselves to commercialization. "There's a funny saying that the gifts are the smallest at Pentecost," said Hofmann. No Easter Bunny, no Santa Claus — just the "gift of the Holy Spirit."

Hofmann's church has for years marked the holiday with an ecumenical celebration involving several Christian denominations. It features a religious service followed by, in typical German fashion, coffee and cake, and grilled sausages.

For her, the event represents the "miracle of understanding" behind Pentecost: "I don't have to become like you. I don't have to speak your language for us to understand each other, but I can stick to what's important to me, where I feel comfortable, where I am at home. And yet we can still come together. I think it's also a miracle that people come closer and understand each other, despite all their differences."

In these highly polarized times, those gifts may be the most essential ones.

Source: www.dw.com