Today, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) celebrates the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, which is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter.
This holiday is also known as Ghosts, Pentecost or Trinity and is always celebrated on the tenth day after the Ascension of the Lord.
The Serbian Orthodox Church also celebrates the Spirits as one of the greatest events in Christianity, recorded in the Four Gospels.
It is believed that, after the events in Jerusalem, the apostles were inspired by the divine power of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who, as written, descended on the heads of Christ’s disciples in the form of tongues of fire.
On the Spirits, Christ fulfilled the promise he made to the disciples on the day of the Ascension when he told them to go from Tabor to Jerusalem and wait there until the Holy Spirit appears to them, who will baptize them – but not with water, as John the Baptist baptized, but with fire divine that will give them strength to preach the Gospel to all peoples in their languages.
On the tenth day after the Savior’s Day, as it is written, there was a roar similar to a strong storm above the home of the twelve apostles, the Mother of God appeared and the people saw a bright light and flaming tongues descending on the heads of Christ’s disciples.
In Christianity, it is considered that the apostles, even though they were people from the people and not very learned, gained the knowledge of all the languages that they did not speak until then and the strength to complete the Lord’s work for the salvation of humanity.
For Christianity, Pentecost is the beginning of everything, the beginning of the first address of Christ’s disciples to the people.
According to the Gospel tradition, Saint Peter the Apostle first addressed the gathered people and called them to repentance and baptism. According to tradition, three and a half thousand souls were baptized, thus creating the foundations of a church that has lasted for the third millennium.
Many customs are associated with this great holiday, and grass is brought into Orthodox churches during the festive liturgy and wreaths are woven from it, which are kept as a blessing in homes until the next Ghosts.
The Serbian Orthodox Church, like all Orthodox churches, ties the date of the celebration of Pentecost to Easter, so this Lord’s Day also belongs to the moving holidays and is always celebrated on Sunday, the tenth day after the Ascension.
Ghosts, like Easter and Christmas, are celebrated for three days, so in the church calendar, Ghost Monday and Ghost Tuesday are marked with a red letter.
On the day before All Souls’ Day, Orthodox believers dedicate to the dead, so on the Saturday before the holiday of Pentecost, memorial services are celebrated, cemeteries are visited and candles are lit on graves and in temples.
(Srna/World)