WHAT IS PENTECOST? “Originally called the Feast of Weeks, it took place seven weeks after the Feast of Firstfruits. (Leviticus 23:15-21) The Jews celebrated many feasts, all within an agricultural context. Seven weeks are fifty days; hence the name Pentecost, which it later received. According to Exodus 34:22, it was celebrated at the end of the barley harvest and before the beginning of the wheat harvest. It was a movable feast, as it depended on the time of the harvest each year, but it almost always took place during the Jewish month of Sivan, equivalent to May or June in our calendar. Originally, it had a fundamental meaning of thanksgiving for the harvest, but a historical meaning was soon added: this feast celebrated the fact of the covenant and the gift of the law.
In the context of this Jewish feast, the Book of Acts places the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles (Acts 2:1-4). From this event onwards, Pentecost also becomes a first-class Christian holiday
