The origins of the Estonian term for Pentecost, "Nelipüha," is not obvious; AK reported it may stem from an old tradition where the celebrations extended over four days – "Neli" being the Estonian word for the number four – including a day of prayers for summer (Estonian: "Suvistepüha").

Fr. Tomasz Materna, parish priest of St. Peter and St. Paul's congregation in Tallinn and a native of Poland, told ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera": "We remember the event that occurred 50 days after Christ's resurrection, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and gave them strength and grace to preach the gospel."

Three masses were held Sunday, in three languages – one in Polish and one in Russian, in addition to a Polish mass. The English-language mass was held Saturday evening, the regular mass time in that language.

Pentecost is a significant event in the church calendar and is supposed to commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, as described in the Book of Acts.

Estonian folklore also involves bringing in birch branches into churches as a means of marking the arrival of Pentecost, which falls 49 days after Easter, a tradition which Fr. Materna said also can be seen in his home country.

"Interestingly enough, in Polish, this feast is also called Zielone zwonkie, which means the green holidays," he said.

People baptized in the Catholic Church a year ago also received the sacrament of confirmation during Sunday's mass.

"Through this sacrament, they become even more the disciples and witnesses of Christ," Fr. Materna said.

Of other significant events are expected soon for the Catholic Church in Estonia include news from the Vatican anticipated shortly on progress on the beatification of Archbishop Eduard Profittlich (1890-1942), a process now nearing completion.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!