294. Pentecost (Whitsun) is a …

Answer options

1. a Christian holiday.
2. a German day of remembrance.
3. an international day of mourning.
4. a Bavarian custom.

Explanation

Pentecost (Whitsun) is the Christian high feast 50 days after Easter, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit and often called the “birthday of the Church.” In Germany, Whit Monday (Pfingstmontag) is a statutory public holiday in all Länder under their Feiertagsgesetze; its constitutional protection derives from Basic Law Art. 140 in conjunction with Weimar Constitution Art. 139 (protection of Sundays and public holidays). Thus it is neither a state day of remembrance nor an international day of mourning, but a religiously defined holiday. Freedom of religion (Art. 4 GG) and the state’s ideological neutrality justify general rest from work without privileging any particular confession.