Sunday noitcelfeR

My husband Jack is in a British-style brass band, The Atlantic Brass Band. They just finished 6th in a field of over 100 bands in a virtual Whit Friday celebration. You can catch their performance by clicking here:

For the uninitiated, Whit Friday is the Friday after Pentecost, and for some reason I can't fathom, the British celebrate it by sponsoring this gigantic brass-band festival. If you watch the movie Brassed Off, you can see it re-enacted.

I have a revulsion of the Whit Friday Festival for reasons I will not go into, but beyond the personal distaste for it, I have to wonder how it came into existence in the first place. 

It's a week of celebrations of Pentecost, with Whit Walks and Band Contests. Whit Walks are more akin to the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia on New Year's Day, and Band Contests involve a lot of marching and a lot of beer. I don't get it. How are either of those activities related to Pentecost? Yes, I'm really proud of my husband, and defensively proud of his band. I'm glad they placed so high up in the ranks. 

But what does it even mean to "celebrate Pentecost" if not to praise God for the gift of the Spirit? 

Are they celebrating someone else having that spirit? As in, "way cool, way to go, you have the Holy Spirit, go you! And how do you like my costume?" 

Are they celebrating the fact that God sent the Paraclete? "Yup, that was a cool thing you did, God. Cheers!" And have another pint.

I have a special desire to seek the Spirit of God, and it doesn't involve Whit Walks or Band Contests. I love playing in a drum and bugle corps, especially the corps I'm in, the Golden Knights, but participating in the corps doesn't lead me to discover the Spirit of God.

By the way, I also don't believe in having Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny around. Humbuggery aside, it just prevent people from understanding the true nature of God.

I don't celebrate Pentecost; I seek it.