General Chat

Brenda, Nay, lass, Whit walks varied from town to town. In Colne, Lancashire, we used to have our on Whit Monday. Down to the market ground in the morning, where all the churches, both Protestant & Catholic, met together for the one occasion in the entire year(!), and we'd march round town with three brass bands. Back home for lunch, then off to our local parish church, and walk through the parish behind the local borough band, visiting the cottage hospital and retirement homes for hymn singing, and ending up at the small mission church at the far end of the parish, where we'd have high tea on long trestle tables, then play games in the field behind. Other towns had different days. I think my parents were used to Whit Friday when they lived in Heywood. Philip

As Helen Evans said, Whitsun used to be half term. Whit Monday used to be a Bank holiday (7? weeks after Easter Monday, usually late May). When we got the May Day bank holiday in the 1970s, the Spring Bank holiday (last Monday in May) replaced Whit Monday.

Up here in the North Whitsun used to be celebrated by all the children having new clothes which they went round to show to their relatives friends and neighbours, they were given pennies On Whitsunday the Anglican and Free churches used to walk round the town in a big procession accompanied by Brass Bands The girls all carried baskets of flowers On Whit Friday the Catholic churches used to walk the children in these usually had new School uniforms Also on Whit Friday individual Sunday Schools used to have a picnic and sports day on a local field In Manchester the walks took place all Whit Week Bren

thanks also to helen, i knew you clever folk on here would help me :) kaz

Ee, when I were a girl at school, t'alfterm 'oliday were called Whitsun. Husband remembers goin' on Sunday school Whitsun outin's an' all. "Whit Sunday commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit in the form of flames to the disciples (Apostles), as recorded in the New Testament. It is often called Pentecost because when the disciples received the Holy Spirit and began to go out and preach about Jesus it was the Jewish festival of Pentecost. Because it marked the first preaching about Jesus, it is called the birthday of the Christian Church. Whit Sunday is a favourite day for baptism. It is thought that as people baptised are often dressed in white it was probably originally 'White Sunday'." [from the Internet] So now we know. Helen

jean, than you very much for the speedy reply kaz

does anyone know what the whitsun holiday is all about? sorry if that doesnt make sense, but we know why we have christmas, saint georges day, and what they stand for but not whitsun, anyone out there have a clue, many thanks in advance kaz