| Whit Monday | |
|---|---|
 MedievalRussian icon of theOld TestamentTrinity byAndrei Rublev, used as the icon of thefeast for Whit Monday. | |
| Also called | Pentecost Monday (Western), Monday of the Holy Spirit (Eastern) |
| Observed by | ManyEuropean countries, and some former colonies |
| Type | Christian, Public |
| Begins | 1st Monday afterWhit Sunday |
| Date | Easter + 50 days |
| 2025 date |
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| 2026 date |
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| 2027 date |
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| 2028 date |
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| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Whit Sunday,Whit Tuesday,Whit Friday,Trinity Sunday |
Whit Monday orPentecost Monday, also known asMonday of the Holy Spirit, is theholiday celebrated the day afterPentecost, amoveable feast in the Christianliturgical calendar. It is moveable because it is determined by the date ofEaster. In theCatholic Church, it is theMemorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, marking the resumption ofOrdinary Time.
Whit Monday gets its name from "Whitsunday", an English name for Pentecost, one of the threebaptismal seasons. The origin of the name "Whit Sunday" is generally attributed to the white garments formerly worn by those newly baptised on this feast.[1]
Pentecost is always on a Sunday[2] and is therefore usually a non-working day. The Monday after Pentecost is apublic holiday in:Andorra,Antigua and Barbuda,Anguilla,Austria,the Bahamas,Barbados,Belgium,Benin,The British Virgin Islands,Central African Republic,Republic of Congo,Cyprus,Denmark,Dominica,France,Gabon,Germany,Greece,Grenada,Hungary,Iceland,Ivory Coast,Liechtenstein,Luxembourg,Madagascar,Monaco,Montserrat,The Netherlands,Norway,Romania,Saint Lucia,Saint Kitts and Nevis,Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,Senegal,Solomon Islands,Switzerland,Togo andUkraine.[3] In many of these countries, Whit Monday is known as "the second day of Pentecost" or "the second Whitsun".[citation needed]
Whit Monday was abank holiday in theUnited Kingdom up until 1964. From 1965 to 1970 it was moved to the last Monday in May on a trial basis. It was then formally replaced by the fixedSpring Bank Holiday on the last Monday in May in 1971.[4] Until 1973, Whit Monday was apublic holiday in Ireland. It was formally replaced by the fixedJune Bank Holiday on the first Monday in June in 1973.[5] Whit Monday was a public holiday in various formerBritish colonies, especially in the Pacific. It remains a public holiday in some of the countries of theCommonwealth Caribbean.
Whit Monday is not a public holiday in theUnited States, but some US churches organise Whit Mondayprayer rallies, which include prayers and street marches. Historically, Whit Monday used to be one of the major annual holidays inPennsylvania Dutch Country. From around1835 to just after theCivil War, Whit Monday was referred to as the "DutchFourth of July" inLancaster, Pennsylvania, where people came to eat, drink and be entertained.[6] Whit Monday is not a public holiday inAustralia, but church events which observe Whit Monday may includeevening services,Bible group meetings, andSunday school lessons which focus on teaching children about the origins and the meaning of Whit Monday and Whit Sunday.[7]
In Germany, Whit Monday (German:Pfingstmontag[p͡fɪŋstˈmoːntaːk]ⓘ) is aHoly Day of obligation forRoman Catholics.[8] In France, Whit Monday became a work-day for many workers from 2005 to 2007. This was to raise extra funds following the government's lack of preparation for a summertime heat wave, which led to a shortage of proper health care for the elderly.[9] It continues to be a "worked public holiday" in France.[10] Whit Monday is celebrated inSouth Tyrol, and for its capital cityBolzano it replaces the holiday of the local patron saint celebrated elsewhere inItaly.[11] InSweden, Whit Monday was a public holiday until 2004; it was replaced by theNational Day of Sweden in 2005.[12]
Although Whit Monday is a civil holiday in many countries, it was not a Catholic religious holiday any more than the other weekdays which followPentecost Sunday. Until the1969 revision of theGeneral Roman Calendar, they were part of theoctave of Pentecost, which was added in the 7th century.[13] The Monday after Pentecost is now the first day of the resumption ofOrdinary Time. While the details differ fromdiocese to diocese, the most widespread practice inGermany (where the holiday remains an obligation) was to have a compulsoryvotive Mass of theHoly Spirit, outranking evensolemnities (these would be local solemnities in that case).
However, in February 2018,Pope Francis declared that henceforth, Whit Monday will be the fixed date for the celebration of a new feast, officially known as the "Memorial ofMary,Mother of the Church" to be celebrated throughout theWestern Catholic Church,[14] with the exception of theOrdinariates, where theoctave ofWhitsun Week has been restored, and the new Memorial is observed on the Saturday afterAscension Day.[15]
In theEastern Orthodox Church and theEastern Catholic Churches Whit Monday is known as "Monday of the Holy Spirit" or "Day of the Holy Spirit".[16] It is the first day of theafterfeast of Pentecost, being dedicated specifically to the honour ofGod theHoly Spirit, and particularly in commemoration of His descent upon the apostles at Pentecost.[17] The day following is known as theThird Day of the Trinity. In services on the Monday of the Holy Spirit many of the same hymns are sung as on the day of Pentecost itself. During theDivine Liturgy theDeacon intones the sameintroit as on the day of Pentecost, and thedismissal is the same as on the day of Pentecost. Specialcanons to the Holy Spirit are chanted atCompline andMatins.[18]
❖ Because Pentecost has a privilegedOctave in the calendar of the Ordinariate, the Memorial ofThe Blessed Virgin Mary,Mother of the Church, is observed on the Saturday after Ascension Day. (Notation on Whit Monday in the 2024 Ordo linked here.)
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