Pentecost or Whit Sunday

50 days AFTER Easter Sunday


50 days after Easter is Pentecost (from the Greek for "the fiftieth"). On this day Christians remember the Holy Spirit first coming and filling Christians with God's power. Pentecost is also known as Whit Sunday so called because of the white clothes worn by those who were baptised that day.


richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Ascension Day

40 days AFTER Easter Sunday



Looking forward from Easter day to the end of the Easter period there are the little remembered Rogation days (for prayer, and formerly also of fasting, aimed at persuading God to protect and give a good harvest). These lead up to Ascension Day 40 days after Easter Day - when we remember Jesus ascending into heaven. This concludes the Easter period itself.



richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Easter Sunday

The Christian festival reaches its climax on Easter Day with celebration marking Jesus conquering death. Counting inclusively, as was done at the time, from Friday makes Sunday the third day. So you can say Jesus rose on the third day. The resurrection was such a stunning event that Christians held celebrations on Sundays in addition to the Jewish Sabbath, and as the church grew away from Judaism, Sunday became the regular day of worship. (although many Christians argue there is absolutely no Biblical mandate for Christians making Sunday their Sabbath, and therefore Saturday should still be observed as the Sabbath).


richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Holy Saturday

or Easter Eve -1 day before Easter Sunday

The last day of Lent. Holy Saturday is about emptiness, reflecting on the awfulness of a world without Jesus, and our need for him. It is meant to be a day of prayer.


richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Good Friday

2 days before Easter Sunday

This is the day when Christians remember Jesus dying on the cross at Calvary for our sins. But there is confusion about how Jewish times and dates were worked out, resulting in some Christians being CONVINCED he was crucified on a WEDNESDAY (also the Wild Olive website) and others ADAMENT it was a FRIDAY. Either way, traditionally, Christians think about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins on the Friday.


richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Palm Sunday

7days before Easter Sunday

The most important week in the traditional Church calendar is Holy Week. Through the week Christians recall the events that occurred in Jerusalem when Jesus entered the city, was crucified, died and then returned to life. The week starts with Palm Sunday when Christians remember Jesus entering Jerusalem and the crowds laying Palm leaves in front of him.



richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Mothers day

21 days before Easter Sunday

This is always on the fourth Sunday during Lent, and is now a day set aside to remember, thank and celebrate mothers. Origianlly, in England, it was a day for people to attend their "mother church", ie. the biggest church or cathedral in the area. The local parish church that people normally attended was known as the "daughter church".


richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Ash Wednesday

46 days before Easter Sunday


On Ash Wednesday many traditional churches have an 'Ashing service' where Ash made from the previous year's palms are sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with incense and symbolically placed on the forehead in the sign of a cross, signifying penance. It is also a reminder of our own mortality: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and of a time when people repented with ashes and wearing sackcloth.


richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK