Pentecost, or Whitsunday as it’s known in the Anglo Catholic tradition deserves some recognition, if not for its theological importance, then for being the last day of Eastertide. Here’s how our family acknowledges the day through symbolism, and a touch of ritual.

White. White is the liturgical colour of Easter, but how White became associated with Whitsunday (White Sunday) in particular, is lost to the ages. My favourite explanation is that the Anglo Saxon word, witan or wyt or wit, which meant knowledge or understanding, referred to an understanding of Pentecost that I expounded on here, and that the word became confused with “white” only after the Norman conquest. Regardless of the etymology, we try to have white foods, such as chocolate wafers covered in whipped cream, or mashed potatoes. We could try to wear white but it’s kind of at odds with the BBQ tradition below, especially with kids involved (parents will know what I mean).

Whitsun Ale. This isn’t a family tradition as much as it is a Wisedad tradition but Fairs or “Ales” were commonly held on Whitsun in Britain due to its proximity to the beginning of summer. There are no jugglers or clowns, but I fill up a growler or get a case of (English) Ale from one of the local microbreweries: Indie Alehouse, Junction Craft Brewery, Rainhard Brewing Co or High Park Brewery.

BBQ Feast. I love the Greek orthodox tradition of roasting a whole lamb on a spit for Easter but it’s not really practical (or legal) to build a fire in our backyard where we live in Toronto, so this year we’re going to introduce a similar tradition at Whitsun: Smoking a beef brisket. Greeks wake up before dawn on Easter to start the fire for the spit, and I’m going to have to wake up before dawn to light the charcoal for the smoker because both roasts take upwards of 10 hours. It takes a special reason for me to wake up at zero-dark-thirty, so this a perfect once-a-year type tradition.

Antiphon at Grace. Throughout Eastertide, we preface our family grace at Sunday supper with, “Alleluia, Christ is risen, the Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia, Alleluia,”. It’s not really a Whitsun tradition, but it is the last day we’ll say it until next Easter.