Pentecost or Whitsunday, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s disciples, is a feast that blesses. Victor Ceresau, priest of the Church “Meeting of God” of the State University of Moldova, has told IPN that this was an occasion by which the promise made by Jesus Christ to his disciples was delivered.

According to him, Pentecost is one of the 12 Orthodox Great Feasts and is considered to be the highest ranking Great Feast of the Lord, second in rank only to Easter. It is always celebrated seven weeks or 50 days after Easter Day and ten days after the Ascension Thursday.

The service is celebrated with an All-night Vigil on the eve of the feast day, and the Divine Liturgy on the day of the feast itself. An extraordinary service called the Kneeling Prayer is observed on the night of Pentecost. This is a Vespers service to which three sets of long poetical prayers are added.

The liturgical color used at Pentecost is green, and the clergy and faithful carry flowers and green branches in their hands during the services. People decorate their houses with green branches to bring blessings on the home and the people living in it. “The leave is a symbol of flame, light because the Holy Spirit descended in the form of flames on the disciplines and apostles and endowed them with the talent to preach,” stated Victor Ceresau.