AHC commercialize Pentecost

How do you get Pentecost at least as commercial or secular as Easter, bonus if you can get it up to Christmas levels. Have Pentecost sales, a cute animal mascot, quasi-mandatory family gatherings, the works.

I suspect you need a pre-1900 POD because not having the feast be movable would help, as would of course a corresponding pagan holiday, but really the later the POD the better.
 
Maybe have Mother's Day be associated with it, starting with the association with the Virgin Mary? The symbolism would be roses, and of course you'd gather around the table to eat (perhaps with your mother/oldest female relative present in the center). Although I wouldn't be surprised if the focus on Mary would make it be seen as a "Catholic thing" in Protestant countries (at least until the 20th century).

It would have to be movable though as IOTL, otherwise it would just be called Mother's Day.
 
Maybe have Mother's Day be associated with it, starting with the association with the Virgin Mary? The symbolism would be roses, and of course you'd gather around the table to eat (perhaps with your mother/oldest female relative present in the center). Although I wouldn't be surprised if the focus on Mary would make it be seen as a "Catholic thing" in Protestant countries (at least until the 20th century).

It would have to be movable though as IOTL, otherwise it would just be called Mother's Day.

Pentecost isn’t really the feast day to do that with, especially if you want to associate it with the Virgin Mary. The best Marian feast days to turn into a cynical greeting card holiday would either the Immaculate Conception or the Assumption.
 
No idea how to do this, but would be very interested in seeing what gets thought of.

Easter is a symbol of rebirth, and pentecost falls 50 days after Resurrection Sunday. Its also the outpouring of the Holy Spirit so perhaps a dove could become the animal mascot. The Spirit manifested as tongues of flames, so in the pagan world I could see it be associated with Vulcan (as god of fire)/Vulcanalia or Vesta (goddess of the hearth), but this might be a stretch.

The feasts in May (when Pentecost usually falls) were Mercuralia on the 15th, a feria to Vulcan later in the month and Ambervalia. Maybe one of those can be appropriated?
 
Maybe have Mother's Day be associated with it, starting with the association with the Virgin Mary? The symbolism would be roses, and of course you'd gather around the table to eat (perhaps with your mother/oldest female relative present in the center). Although I wouldn't be surprised if the focus on Mary would make it be seen as a "Catholic thing" in Protestant countries (at least until the 20th century).
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It wouldn’t make sense for it to be about Mary because 1) Pentecost has nothing to do with her 2) the US, the capital of commercialism, is Protestant majority and 3) commercialism generally means a secular emphasis (like Santa or the Easter bunny).

I think it can’t be as big as Easter unless it replaces Easter as the big spring commercial holiday. The two are too close in the year. But if it replaces Easter as the spring gift giving holiday, you can transfer the various secular traditions like the bunny onto Pentecost (although Easter makes more sense as it’s earlier in spring).
 
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Md139115

Banned
Pentecost is when most Catholic parishes try to plan their confirmations around, and they usually involve parties. Perhaps something working off that basis?
 
The most obvious path is that there is some powerful Pope (perhaps influenced by a prominent theologian) lamenting that the Holy Spirit is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Trinity and so makes a big deal about Pentecost with the dove being the obvious mascot. Some sort of ritual gathering of the laity before going to Mass together is strongly advocated. This might over time evolve into a mostly the extended family get together that is more social than spiritual.
 
Pentecost is when most Catholic parishes try to plan their confirmations around, and they usually involve parties. Perhaps something working off that basis?

The problem with that is that confirmation is a sacrament of the Catholic Church, and I seriously doubt that the Church would allow a sacramental rite to be turned into a secular cash grab.
 

Md139115

Banned
The problem with that is that confirmation is a sacrament of the Catholic Church, and I seriously doubt that the Church would allow a sacramental rite to be turned into a secular cash grab.

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Yes, and their vigorous attempts to stop the commercialization of the Sacrament of Matrimony, not to mention Christmas, Easter, St. Valentines Day, St. Patrick’s Day, All Saint’s Day (well the two days on either side of it), and the feast of the Lord’s Circumcision were very successful...
 
I like many of the ideas above, but I'm thinking that you get a carry-over of a pagan Spring holiday loosely attached to a Christian holiday, just ITTL this would be Pentecost and not Easter. I'm not sure if you can get both holidays commercialized. One winds up as partly secularized and the other remains as a serious Christian holiday that no one but faithful churchgoers take any notice of (and even churchgoers often forget about because the date keeps shifting and there is nothing outside of church to remind them of it).

So ITTL Easter and the preceding days become something that only regular churchgoers really care about,sort of like Ash Wednesday, but Pentecost and the dove becomes part of the culture. But I don't know how to get that. You may need a POD as far back as when the pagan observances fall. I still think a fixed calendar for the Passion commemorations could play a role.
 
What about tying it to May 10 (Int'l Clean Your Room day) celebrations? Cinderella can be the mascot (with pumpkin mice and lizards), and a crossed broom and a mop the logo?

Parents the world over (mine especially when I was a kid) will rejoice! :winkytongue:
 

Philip

Donor
In the US, Pentecost falls near the beginning of wedding season. If Pentecost became a traditional date for weddings, it could rapidly become a gift-giving holiday. It could become a default anniversary date and possibly assume the role of OTL St Valentine's day.

Again, at least in the US, Pentacost trends to fall near the end of the academic year. If medieval universities in western Europe had a adopted a tradition of graduating students on Pentecost, it could be more widely adopted by primary and secondary schools as mandatory education expands. Tie in a celebration of the beginning of summer break and you might have something.
 
I think people are putting the cart before the horse. Pentecost can't just piggyback on another holiday. It needs to be its own thing. Christmas and Easter would be a big deal any time of year. (Keep in mind, Christmas is only a winter holiday, and Easter a spring holiday, in the northern hemisphere.) You need to make Pentecost a huge holiday on its own and then the marketers will commercialize it.
 
Pentecost is the second most important feast on the church calendar. It just never has been secularized/ commercialized. That is what this thread is about.
 
Pentecost is the second most important feast on the church calendar. It just never has been secularized/ commercialized. That is what this thread is about.

If you were to ask 100 Christians what the second-most important feast on the calendar is, how many do you think would name Pentecost?
 
If you were to ask 100 Christians what the second-most important feast on the calendar is, how many do you think would name Pentecost?

I was just wondering the same thjng. When I asked my (Protestant) Sunday school class of teenagers (14/15yo) about the significance of Easter a few months ago I got blank stares and responses of "its a 4 day weekend. Which is nice"

I asked them last week about pentecost and the answers were equally shockingly ignorant.

So I'd say 1 is Christmas, 2) is Easter (if you're lucky) and they don't just think its a rabbit that goes around leaving eggs. 3) probably Halloween (although theyre more interested in the candy than the religious significance) and I'd say pentecost would be lucky to make top 10?
 
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