For many people across Belgium, Whit Monday or Pentecost Monday means a day off work. But what does this religious holiday actually signify?
Whit Monday is observed as an official public holiday in many historically Christian countries in Europe, including Belgium, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.
Whit Monday is the holiday that falls the day after Pentecost Sunday, a religious holiday of the Christian faith. Pentecost Sunday changes every year as it falls on the 50th day after Easter and is therefore determined by the lunar calendar.
Pentecost 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. Many Christians of the Catholic, Protestant and Lutheran faiths celebrate Pentecost with special services at their churches.
Near Charleroi, Whit Monday usually sees a large folkloric procession march through the town of Gerpinnes in a centuries-old tradition in honour of Saint-Rolende. Thousands of participants don costumes from the first and second Napoleonic regimes.
What is closed today?
As bank holidays are mandatory days off for the majority of employees across Belgium, most businesses and public services will be keeping their doors shut on Monday 20 May.
Bank branches will remain shut. However, the Belgian Federation of the Financial Sector (Febelfin) confirmed that online banking services will still be operating. "Banks remain digitally available any time of the day. During bank closing days, digital payment services will still work. So you can always do online and mobile banking and pay with your card."
Most services and government offices, as well as municipal administration buildings, will also be closed, as will most Bpost post offices. Mail will not be delivered until Tuesday but some postal points within local convenience stores may still be accessible on Monday.
Most doctors will also not be working on Monday. Those in need of medical care can receive help from an on-call doctor. When your regular doctor is not working, you should call the number 1733, the number for non-urgent medical help linked to local on-call services. Hospitals will remain open.
Credit: Belga
The majority of pharmacies will be closed but at least one pharmacy in the local area will be open and on duty. The nearest on-duty pharmacy can be found here.
Most shopping centres and retail shops as well as a vast majority of supermarkets across the country – Aldi, Lidl, Cora, Makro, Okay, and Colruyt – are closed today.
Only grocery stores that ordinarily remain open on Sundays and public holidays are likely to be open, including local Carrefour and Delhaize stores, as well as a limited number of Intermarché and Spar shops. They will follow their Sunday opening hours. It is recommended to check online whether your local store is open or not.
Many bars, restaurants and cafés will likely be open, but again, it is advised to check online or via social media whether businesses are open.
Finally, a wide range of museums will be open on the occasion of Belgian Museums Week. From 18 to 26 May, museums will be offering unique tours, workshops, concerts and parties.
What about public transport?
The impact of bank holidays on public transport is more limited. Brussels' STIB network will run on the traditional Sunday timetable. Tram line 19 will also be interrupted between Jette Cemetery and De Wand until Tuesday morning.
SNCB trains across Belgium will also operate on the weekend timetable. As it is an extended weekend, SNCB's Weekend ticket option – which gives passengers up to 50% discount for travel from Friday evening until Sunday – will be valid until Monday. Find more information on the SNCB website.
De Lijn in Flanders and TEC in Wallonia will also operate on the Sunday timetable. From Tuesday, the normal timetable will apply again for all companies.
