WHITSUNDAY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3766, 18 May 1907, Page 2

WHITSUNDAY.

The Christian festival of Whitsunday corresponds to the Jewish festival of penticost, as the Christian Easter corresponds to the passover. The derivation is a matter of controversy. The one best supported, as well as the most picturesque is that from Whiteb'unday. nqraely, the day on which in olden times the newly-baptised persons appeared in their white baptismal dress. Whitsuntide and Whitsunweek are abbreviations for Whitsundaytide and Whitsundaytideweek. Other suggestions of the name are : Firstly from some corruption of the German “ pfings ” —itself a corruption of penticost; secondly some connection with “ Wit-wisdom,” —the time when the spirit of Wisdom came to men ; thirdly it is called Whitsunday because of those vast diffusions of light and knowledge which upon this day were shed upon the apostles in order to the enlightening of the world. It is interesting to note how the old English word whit corresponding to the modern white can be plainly traced in this word. The change from the long i to the short i is exactly what has taken place in numbeis of other words. For instance whitlow old English whytlowe, and in many names of English towns Whitechurch, Whitley, Whitacre, etc. It seems highly probable, therefore, that the derivation from hwit —white — is correct.