Whit Tuesday (syn. ''Whittuesday'', ''Whitsun Tuesday'') is the Christian holiday celebrated the day after
Pentecost Monday, the third day of the week beginning on
Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...
. Pentecost is a movable feast in the Christian calendar dependent upon the date of Easter. "Whit" relates either to the white robes worn by those baptized on Pentecost, or to the French word "huit," since Pentecost is the eighth Sunday after Easter.
Rapalje, Stewart and Lawrence, Robert L., "A dictionary of American and English law, Volume 2," Frederick D. Linn & Co., 1888, page 1357
Observance
It was a holiday in the Lutheran Church in Germany at Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach's time, where all major holidays were celebrated for three days. Bach and others composed cantata music for the occasion.
It used to be a public holiday in Denmark and Sweden. In Denmark it was abolished on 26 October 1770, and in Sweden on 4 November 1772, both places as part of larger reductions of the number of holidays.
The Dancing procession of Echternach
The dancing procession of Echternach is an annual Roman Catholic dancing procession held at Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach's is the last traditional dancing procession in Europe.
The procession is held every Whit Tuesday. It hon ...
takes place on Pentecost Tuesday. In the 19th century, it was also the occasion of the feast of Saint Tetha in Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
.[Orme, Nicholas]
''English Church Dedications: With a Survey of Cornwall and Devon'', p. 119
University of Exeter Press (Exeter), 1996.
Observance in Eastern Orthodoxy
In the Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
, Whit Tuesday is known as the "Third Day of the Trinity" and is part of the Feast of Pentecost. Monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...
, cathedrals, and parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
es often celebrate the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service.
The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...
on this day.
See also
*Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time () is the part of the liturgical year in the liturgy of the Roman Rite, which falls outside the two great seasons of Christmastide and Eastertide, or their respective preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. Ordinary Time thus inc ...
* Willibrord
References
Pentecost
Holidays based on the date of Easter
June observances
{{Christianity-stub