Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Community

PENTECOST. Feast commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. It takes its name from the fact that it comes about fifty days after Easter. The name was originally given to the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which fell on the fiftieth day after Passover, when the first fruits of the corn harvest were offered to the Lord (Deuteronomy 16:9), and later on the giving of the law to Moses was celebrated. In the early Church, Pentecost meant the whole period from Easter to Pentecost Sunday, during which no fasting was allowed, prayer was only made standing, and Alleluia was sung more often. (Etym. Greek he pentekoste, the fiftieth day.)

from Pocket Catholic Dictionary - John A. Hardon, S.J. Abridged Edition of the Modern Catholic Dictionary Copyright © 2003 Inter Mirifica