Whit Monday (or Pentecost Monday) is the holiday held the day after Pentecost, a religious holiday of the Christian faith celebrated by devotees the world over, and marked by a public bank holiday in Belgium.
The holiday falls the day after Pentecost Sunday, which commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles after the death of Jesus, leading to the first sermon and marking the birth of the Christian Church. The two days of Pentecost change each year, as Pentecost Sunday is set on the 50th day after Easter – which, in turn, is determined using the lunar calendar.
Many Christians of the Catholic, Protestant and Lutheran faiths celebrate Pentecost on Sunday by attending special services at their churches, during which sermons focus on the theme of the Holy Spirit and which usually include a baptism ceremony.
Whit Monday is a bank holiday in countries of the Christian tradition – including Belgium, where most public services, shops and offices are closed during the day.
Near Charleroi, Whit Monday usually sees a large procession march through the town of Gerpinnes in a centuries-old tradition to mark the public holiday. Dressed in Napoleonic costumes, devotees taking part in the yearly march gather in the central church and then walk nearly 40 km around town in honour of Sainte Rolende de Gerpinnes.
What is open in Belgium?
Whit Monday is the last day of a long weekend and many businesses operate on a different schedule today. As with other public holidays, public and administration services, such as postal services, will not operate today, and neither will banks.
Many hospitality businesses such as bars, restaurants and cafés will be open. Especially businesses with a terrace can expect a lot of people wanting to enjoy their day off in the sun.
As for supermarkets, most Carrefour shops will be open, as well as some of Delhaize’s smaller Shop’n’Go markets, but nearly all Aldi, Lidl and Colruyt stores will be closed.
Many shopping malls and retail shops across the country, such as City 2 and Docks Bruxsel, will remain closed today. Most other stores on the Rue Neuve in Brussels, will also close their doors.
Belgium’s national railway service, SNCB, as well as bus service De Lijn and Brussels public transport STIB, will continue to operate but will follow the Sunday service schedule.
