Pentecost is also called Whitsun, Whitsunday, or Whit Sunday in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking areas.

For most Christians, Pentecost represents the birthday of the Church, signified by the descent of the Holy Spirit.

The events took place on the day of the Pentecost, in Jerusalem, at 09:00 (“the third hour of the day,” according to Jewish timekeeping). The community of Christ’s disciples, approximately 120 people, was gathered “into an upper room” in a building that Tradition locates on Mount Zion. The Tradition also says that it was the same room where Jesus ate His Last Supper. The events are very well described in Acts 2:1-4:

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

According to the Book of Acts, the experience of the Pentecost was noticed by all in the large crowd, causing confusion and inspiring awe:

“When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language…. Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? …Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”” Acts 2:6-12

Then the Apostle Peter, standing with the eleven other apostles, spoke to the crowd. He explained that these strange events had been predicted by the prophet Joel, and that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and exaltation to heaven had been prophesied by David. Peter then exhorted his listeners to turn to Christ. When Peter was asked what people should do, he responded by saying “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” The Bible suggests that about three thousand responded to Peter’s sermon.

Customs for celebrating Pentecost

In Italy, it was customary to scatter rose petals from the ceiling of the churches to recall the miracle of the fiery tongues. The Italian name Pascha rossa comes from the red colors of the vestments used on Pentecost.

In France, it was customary to blow trumpets during Divine service, to recall the sound of the mighty wind that accompanied the Descent of the Holy Spirit.

In the United Kingdom, the gentry amused themselves with horse races. Whitsunday remains one of the Scottish term days, at which debts are paid and leases traditionally expire, but this Scottish Whitsunday is now always considered to fall on May 15.

In Poland, Pentecost is called “the Green Holiday,” when people decorate their houses with green branches, which—according to tradition—are said to bring God’s blessing upon the home and the people living in it. Another custom, which is slowly becoming rare, is making processions to the fields, where the crops are blessed.

In Ukraine, Pentecost is called “Green Sunday.” The inside of churches are covered with fresh branches of green deciduous trees. Green branches are also placed on the outside banisters and doors of churches and people also place a green branch on the door of their homes. Clergy and altar boys also wear green vestments as do many in the congregation. Green symbolizes new life and Pentecost is thought to be the birthday of the church.

The following Monday is a holiday in much of Europe. The day is known as Whit Monday in England, Wales, and Ireland, and is also celebrated in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, parts of Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Hungary.

Date of Pentecost

Pentecost does not fall on the same calendar date every year, yet according to Church tradition, Pentecost is always seven weeks after Easter Sunday; that is to say, 50 days after Easter (inclusive of Easter Day). Said otherwise, it falls on the eighth Sunday, counting Easter Day.

The earliest possible date is May 10, and latest possible date is June 13. 

MAY, MIGHT

A may egy módbeli segédige (jó, persze azt is jelenti, hogy május, ha nagybetűvel írjuk, de ennek semmi köze ehhez), ebből kifolyólag éppúgy, mint a többi társa, nem változtatja meg az alakját. Egyszóval jelen időben mindig may lesz, illetve az őt követő ige előtt sosincs to.

Ez persze nem jelenti azt, hogy a may használatával nem lehet különböző időszemléleteket kifejezni. Nézd csak:

Most pedig nézzük meg sorban, hogy mire is tudjuk használni a may-t.

1.

A may segítségével alaphelyzetben lehetőséget tudunk kifejezni: azt jelenti, hogy valami valószínűleg meg fog történni/valami valószínűleg éppen történik/valami valószínűleg már megtörtént. Gyakorta fejez ki egy olyan cselekvést, amely valószínűleg bekövetkezhet a jövőben:          

Be careful! The dog may bite you! – Légy óvatos! Megharaphat a kutya!

Ha egy olyan cselekvésről beszélünk, amely valószínűleg megtörtént a múltban, akkor a

MAY + HAVE + ige 3. alakja

szerkezetet kell használni:

I may have made a mistake again. – Lehet, hogy már megint hibát követtem el.

Amennyiben a may segédigével lehetőséget fejezünk ki, úgy a tagadó alakja simán may not, viszont nincs ebben az esetben kérdő formája. Tehát ilyen nem létezik:

May you have lost your passport? – Lehet, hogy elhagytad az útleveledet?

helyette:

Could you have lost your passport? – Lehet, hogy elhagytad az útleveledet?

2.

A may segítségével olyan mondatokat is tudunk alkotni, amelyek engedély kérésre/adásra vonatkoznak.

May I use the bathroom? – Használhatom a mellékhelyiséget?

You may come in. – Bejöhet.

You may not come in now. – Most nem jöhet be, kérem!

Ha ebben az esetben tagadjuk a may-t, akkor az azt jelenti, hogy nem adunk/nem kapunk engedélyt valamire.

Most pedig nézzük a might-ot! Tulajdonképpen a may és a might között nincs különösebb különbség, a MAY használata gyakoribb. Egy esetben nem lehet MAY-t használni a MIGHT helyett, ha az a szituáció, amiről szó van, nem valós, hanem elképzelt helyzeten alapul. Ez leginkább a 2nd Conditional-ra jellemző:

If I knew her better, I might ask her out. – Ha jobban ismerném, lehet, hogy elhívnám randira.

She may be the face I can’t forget
The trace of pleasure or regret
May be my treasure or the price I have to pay
She may be the song the summer sings
May be the chill the autumn brings
May be a hundred different things
Within the measure of a day

She may be the beauty or the beast
May be the famine or the feast
May turn each day into a heaven or a hell
She may be the mirror of my dreams
The smile reflected in a stream
She may not be what she may seem inside her shell

She who always seems so happy in a crowd
Whose eyes can be so private and so proud
No one’s allowed to see them when they cry
She may be the love that cannot hope to last
May come to me from shadows of the past
But I’ll remember till the day I die

She may be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I’m alive
The one I’ll care for through the rough in many years
Me, I’ll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I’ve got to be
The meaning of my life is she

She She

to forget – elfelejteni
trace – nyom
pleasure – élvezet
to regret – (meg)bánni
price – ár
chill – hűvös, hideg, fagy
within the measure of a day – egyetlen nap leforgása alatt
famine  – éhinség
feast – lakoma, dőzsölés
heaven – menny(ország)
hell – pokol
to reflect – (vissza)tükrözni
stream – patak, folyó
to seem – tűnni
shell – kagyló(héj), (csiga)ház, burok, páncél
crowd – tömeg
proud – büszke
to be allowed – megengedett, engedélyezett
shadow  – árnyék
reason – ok
to survive – túlélni
wherefore – ok, amiért
through the rough – (jóban) rosszban, göröngyös utakon
laughter – nevetés
tears – könnyek