Click through the slideshow to see artistic depictions of the Pentecost
Pentecost, the Greek word for 'Shavout' is an ancient feast in Israel that celebrates the harvest and giving of the Torah on Sinai. In the Christian liturgical calendar, Pentecost, observed 50 days after Easter Sunday, marks the end of the Easter season and celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and other disciples of Jesus. This is narrated in the Acts of the Apostles:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)
Below, a two-minute introduction to Pentecost courtesy of Busted Halo: