What does PENTECOST mean? helpful definition - traditions

from the "Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education" web pages for June dates of interfaith and major religious traditions: On Pentecost (Sunday June 8, 2014), Christians will celebrate the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles of Jesus. The word itself comes from the Greek word for "fiftieth," since the feast day takes place the 50th day after Easter. (from April 20 to June 8, in 2014: Mondays - Saturdays only counted.) ____________________In the early days of the Christian church, no courts of law were held during the week of Pentecost, and manual labor was forbidden; those practices gradually diminished. In Italy, it has been customary to drop leaves from the ceilings of churches, to signify the descent of the Holy Spirit. The French tended to sound trumpets, signifying the sound of the mighty wind that is said to have accompanied the Holy Spirit's descent upon the apostles. http://www.csee.org/resources/religious-calendar/june.html