Greece Marks the Holy Spirit Feast Day Today
Today, the Monday after Pentecost, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Spirit, honoring the third person of the Holy Trinity. In Greece, the day is an official public holiday for civil servants, and over the years it has extended to banks, schools, local government workers, and many other private sector employees under collective agreements.
The Holy Spirit holds a central place in Orthodox Christian doctrine. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed of 381, recited as the "Pistevo" in every Orthodox liturgy, declares the Holy Spirit to be "the Lord and Giver of Life," proceeding from the Father, and equally glorified and worshipped alongside the Father and the Son.
The Visigoths added "filioque" to the Creed in 589, a dispute that helped split Rome and Constantinople in 1054.
A key theological distinction separates Eastern and Western Christianity on this very point. The Visigoths of Spain added the word "filioque" (meaning "and from the Son") to the Creed at the Council of Toledo in 589, claiming the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son. The Orthodox Church has never accepted this addition, and the dispute ultimately contributed to the Great Schism of 1054 between Rome and Constantinople.
The Orthodox Church permits the depiction of the Holy Spirit in only two forms: as a dove in images of the Theophany (the Baptism of Christ), and as a tongue of fire in depictions of Pentecost. In Catholic tradition, by contrast, the Monday after Pentecost is dedicated to the Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church.
Churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity celebrate their feast day today, and all those bearing the names Triada or Triadis mark their name day. Across Greece, communities hold traditional festivals and village panegyria to mark the occasion.
