Many Christians throughout the world think of the day of Pentecost as the day when the Christian religion began. It is like the Church's birthday.

Christians celebrate this birthday in different ways. During some Pentecost services, the minister or priest wears red to remember the tongues of fire which came down from Heaven and rested upon the heads of the Apostles.

In Britain, Pentecost is also called Whitsun, because on this day new Christians used to be baptised. Often they wore white. So Penetcost was known as White Sunday. White Sunday was then shortened to Whitsun.

At Pentecost, some Christians in Britain still take part in Whitsun walks through the streets of their local towns and villages. Whitsun walks are an opportunity for Christians to tell other people about Jesus. This is just like on the first Pentecost when the Apostles went into the streets of Jerusalem.

In some churches, Pentecost is also the last day on which the Paschal candle is lit. The Paschal candle is a special candle which is lit on Easter Sunday and kept alight for forty days. It is blown out on the day when Christians remember Jesus going back to Heaven. The candle is lit again on Pentecost because Christians believe that on the first Pentecost Jesus came back down to earth in a new way.