Marks the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. 50 days after Christ’s death and resurrection. Ending the season of Easter tide in the Catholic Church, Pentecost is a major solemnity. With its roots in the Old Testament, originally termed The Jewish Feast of Weeks, Shavuot is another fulfillment of the scriptures and a time of great transformation.
On the fiftieth (penta in Greek) day after Christ rose, the Holy Spirit descended, giving the apostles immense clarity and beginning their mission to form the early Church. Held up in the upper room, the Apostles received instruction from the tongues of fire (Acts 2:3), allowing them to speak in different languages. The understanding was that they were to bring this ministry to other cultures and spread the church throughout the world.
This is why we Catholics consider Pentecost to be the Birthday of the Church!
So, what will you do this season?!
I have 5 ideas you can roll with if you wish.
First, let’s set the tone:
- Flavors of Pentecost
- Strawberry
- Rhubarb
- Almond
- Colors of Pentecost
- Liturgical: red, white
- Decoration: red, white, orange, yellow (flames)
- Vibe of Pentecost
- Energy
- Communication
- Intensity
5 Ideas to Get Your Celebration On
1. Bake A Pentecost Inspired Dessert!
Simple, delicious, and fun with kiddos. Plus, there are so many ways to decorate!
Le Colombier
Traditional Provençal Almond Cake
The recipe I’m going to adapt this year is here. I am allergic to wheat, but also currently dairy-free for breastfeeding, so I’ll recap my own gluten-free, dairy-free dessert options after experimenting.
Decoration Ideas
- Fresh Strawberry flames,
- Dust freeze-dried strawberry powder over a cut-out dove stencil
- Use candles (plastic-free wax) for actual flame
- Red cupcake liners
- Orange and yellow frosting dyes (natural dyes like turmeric, saffron, or even lemon peel or yellow safflower, great for at-home coloring)
- Note: They can also be purchased from sites like this.
2. Tongues of Fire!
Maybe only my family is nerdy like this, but the tradition we are starting is called Tongues of Fire. A Language game I made up!
First, pick 10 or so interesting words from Acts of the Apostles and translate each one into a different language.
Then place all the options in a bowl.
Now the presenter picks out one word at a time, and everyone has to guess 3 things:
- What it means
- How to spell it
- And the country of origin
If the presenter can’t pronounce it, you can go opposite and have them spell the word, and you all guess the pronunciation!
Educational and fun, all in the spirit of well …The Holy Spirit!
3. Dove Art
There are so many media to choose from!
Drawing, painting, cutting doves out of paper to make a chain like snowflakes.
You could sew little doves together with herbs in between to lay under your pillow for sleep, even.
Try this coloring page I made for you for free for a fun homeschool activity!
4. Go to Mass
It’s really the #1 activity. Maybe not why you clicked on this article, but again,
Go… to… Mass.
Invite someone new to Mass! Carry on the work of the apostles by bringing the faith to your community.
5. Dress Up Pentecost Style!
I am enamored with the Saints, so one way to do this is to pick a saint and gain inspiration from their outfits for any season!
Choose white and yellow accents, feathers even. Often associated with stained glass, colorful is the way to go for this solemnity.
Dress is such an important part of culture and a way to interpret history. The church has so many beautiful symbols and patterns to draw inspiration from for all seasons.
These are super simple starter ideas to get you going, but by no means an exhaustive list. Leave a comment with your little fix for Pentecost!
These are super simple starter ideas to get you going but by no means an exhaustive list. Leave a comment with your little fix for Pentecost!
Pax,
Darby
Learn more about the roots of Pentecost here and the Catholic traditions here.
