📅 holiday

Orthodox Whit Sunday

Sunday, May 31, 2026

— days to go

Orthodox Pentecost is celebrated in Greece seven weeks and a day (50 days) following Easter. This puts Orthodox Pentecost in late May to mid-June in Greece, and the feast traditionally lasts for three days, Sunday through Tuesday. A public holiday is provided for Whit Monday. Pentecost, also called “Whitsunday” in many other Christian denominations, corresponds to Jewish feast of Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks). In Greece, Pentecost is one of the “Great Christian Feasts” of the year, being second in importance only to Pascha (Good Friday). It is celebrated with much fanfare, such that it seems to many almost like “a second Easter.” According to the Bible, Pentecost marks the day on which the Holy Spirit descended on the members of the Church of Jerusalem, including the Apostles, and led to their speaking in other languages to Jews of many lands gathered in Jerusalem to worship. Thousands converted and were baptised, and the Christian faith continued to grow and expand from that point on. In Greek Orthodox doctrine, Pentecost was the fulfilment of Jesus’ mission on Earth and the beginning of the “Messianic Age of God’s Kingdom.” It is considered the birthday of the Church, but the Church is thought of as the place where Jesus is “mystically present” and reigning over the earth. Pentecost marks to the Orthodox believer the coming of the Spirit, the full revelation of the Trinity, and a day to celebrate membership in God’s family. Fasting is forbidden during this time, even the usual weekly fasts on Wednesday and Friday, because it is a time of great joy.

History

This puts Orthodox Pentecost in late May to mid-June in Greece, and the feast traditionally lasts for three days, Sunday through Tuesday. In Greece, Pentecost is one of the “Great Christian Feasts” of the year, being second in importance only to Pascha (Good Friday). ” According to the Bible, Pentecost marks the day on which the Holy Spirit descended on the members of the Church of Jerusalem, including the Apostles, and led to their speaking in other languages to Jews of many lands gathered in

How It's Celebrated

Other Years

2024 Sun

23 Jun

2025 Sun

8 Jun

2026 Sun

31 May

2027 Sun

20 Jun

2028 Sun

4 Jun

Countries

🇬🇷 GR 🇷🇴 RO

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📅 holiday Feb 10

Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck

The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is a holiday unique to Malta because it was on Malta that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked around the year A.D. 60. In 2027, Feast of St Paul's Shipwreck falls on Wednesday 10 February. The holiday will be on Thursday 10 February in 2028. The feast is kept on February 10th each year, and as Paul is the patron saint of Malta, it is a much-anticipated event. Out of dozens of “saint days” on the church calendar in Malta, the Feast of Saint Paul is one of only a handful that have the status of a national holiday. The account of Paul’s shipwreck and three-month, wintertime stay on Malta is found in the Bible’s Acts 27:27 through 28:11. He was being taken to Rome as a prisoner to eventually stand trial before Caesar. God let him know in advance he would be shipwrecked but would spare the lives of all on board, which promise was later kept and in answer to Paul’s prayers for their lives. The Bible says the storm was in the Adriatic Sea, though Malta borders the Ionian Sea, because in ancient times, the Adriatic’s boundaries were considered to extend much farther south. The ship broke up on the rocks near the shores of Malta, and all swam ashore. The local population greeted them, but thought he might be a murderer whom the “goddess of justice” had finally caught up with after he was bitten by a poisonous snake. After he lived, however, they supposed him to be, perhaps, a god. Paul, however, soon showed them it was God’s power at work in a mere man by healing the governor of the island, Publius, and many others who were sick or disabled among the island’s population. No doubt, Paul preached the Gospel to them as well, and when he left Malta, the inhabitants gave him all necessary supplies out of gratitude. The Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck is kept at the “Parish Church of Saint Paul Shipwrecked” in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. It is also a day of processions and family get-togethers. Three things to do should you visit Malta, though hopefully not be shipwrecked there, on February 10th are:

🌍 observance Feb 17