Still celebrate Whitsuntide?

Am I right in thinking that Whitsun is the day Jesus was baptised by John, and the white dove flew down onto his shoulder? Think so. I remember we school-kids used to troop off down the hill to the church on that morning.

It’s the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit

Yes. According to the internet it's the same as Pentecost. Who knew? When the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples. And then they all started talking "in tongues".

Long time since I did my Sunday School exams.

Might have been Ascension Day we went to church.

Whitsunday is Pentecost (from the Greek for 50) and is celebrated on the 7th Sunday after Easter. It celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. See Acts 2

In the the village where I was brought up near Neath there was always a march on Whitsun Sunday. Most of the village turned out,all the chapels plus the Church, Salvation Army. Those who didn't march stood along the route watching. There was a band and all the marchers sang hymns. Someone from each chapel carried a banner. I always had a new dress and white shoes and socks, the shoes usually pinched. Also some bright spark from the Council usually thought it a good idea to tarmac the roads just before!
Afterwards we went back to the chapel for Whitsun tea which was served on bone china engraved with the name of the chapel - Jerusalem. Capel yr Annibynnwyr - Welsh Non Conformist. Been one ever since, non conformist that is ?

Whit Friday, meaning White Friday, is the name given to the first Friday after Pentecost or Whitsun (White Sunday). The day has a cultural significance in North West England, as the date on which the annual Whit Walks are traditionally held
From Whit Friday - Wikipedia

I don't remember any marches, only that we all had a whole set of new clothes, from undies to shoes. Your new dress was called a 'Whitsy dress.' I remember being quite jealous of a slightly older friend whose 'Whitsy dress' was a low waisted 'twist dress.' I can see her now, twirling around in it, it must be all of 50 years ago.

Not marches as such in West Central Scotland, but we had a May Procession, where a statue of the Blessed Virgin was taken round the church and crowned by the May Queen. Other children wore their Holy Communion clothes or Sunday best. Another procession for Corpus Christi in June, where the priest carried the Blessed Sacrament and wee girls strew petals on the ground, once again in their Communion ‘braws’.
Easter Day was the day for the new straw hat and duster coat!

I grew up in Kent and we didn't have parades or anything but I always loved Whitsunday bank holiday. We had half term at school and although I don't associate it with having new clothes, it was often when the better weather began and we could wear summer dresses and ankle socks and sandals.

Easter could be very gloomy but Whitsunday seemed to herald summer.

I'm another Mancunian. The Catholics walked on Whit Friday and the other churches walked on Whit Monday. It seemed as though every local family turned out to watch, or take part in, the Whit walks. One year, aged about nine, I was determined to bag a place on the walk and so turned up to the local Methodist Church Sunday School. The deal was that if you attended Sunday School for the three weeks leading up to the walk you could be in the procession. I almost died of boredom in week one, only just lived through week two and gave up on week three, so I never got to take part in the walk. (Much to the relief of my mum who couldn't afford to make me a new dress anyway.)

However, I went on to spend twenty seven years as a Sunday School teacher with a primary aim being that none of my children should find my class boring!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCcb0_E7d38

I think it must have been a Northern tradition. In South Yorkshire we had breakfast at the local Sunday School before following bands from the Salvation Army and the Boys Brigade Bugle Corps and each church’s banner in procession to the local park where there would be a church service with hymns and then games for the children. I do remember money being given for new clothes. Looking back, it seemed such an odd thing. I always had a new dress for Whit Monday - usually something so ridiculously frothy that I cringe now when I think about it, but it was the only time my mother could make her dreams of how she would like me to dress into reality, instead of the grim war of attrition that usually accompanied buying clothes for me! Bless her. It was also the only time I remember getting any sort of seal of approval from my grandmother!

I've never heard of anyone celebrating Whitsuntide. You live and learn.

I lived in Manchester and the Whit walks were a massive event . The Catholic folks walked on one day and the Protestants on another . One was Monday and the other Friday . It was an amazing sight to see and has very happy memories for me as a child .
The Italians used to carry great big statutes of the Madonna filled with flowers and took several strong men to carry them . Many local church used to walk on Whit Sunday with lots of children wearing matching dresses quite a spectical . This has brought back lots of lovely memories for me ❤️

I grew up in Preston in Lancashire and we always took part in the Whit walks as children. The Roman Catholics walked in the morning and the Cof E and others in the afternoon. We were in the ‘others’ procession walking as a church and Sunday school with banner and a band. Always had new clothes and shoes and as children we carried a little cloth bag( a Dorothy bag) people watching put money in it and after the processions we would go on the Whit fair in the market and spend our money. When the processions were stopped the fair was still held at Whitsuntide, loved the parched peas we got in a little paper bag - happy days.

You've brought back memories BradfordLass. Like others I remember having new clothes at Whitsuntide including white socks and Clarks sandals.

In my part of South Yorkshire, the processions were from non-conformist chapels and each walked behind a huge banner held at each side by someone holding a polished pole, with younger ones holding ribbons or twisted rope in front and behind. Usually each chapel had a May Queen in long dress with train and coronet. We followed the processions into our local park where they massed round the band stand for a service.

Happy memories of the 1950s.

Daddima, I had forgotten about the new straw hat and duster coat on Easter Sunday. One year, when I was in Primary seven, the coat was replaced with a costume (suit) of peach and cream tweed and the hat had a matching , peach, velvet ribbon! We had little money, but my aunt was a buyer in the children's department of a dept store and she kitted me out.
There is still a May and Corpus Christi procession in our parish, but I have never seen a procession on Whitsunday, in the west of Scotland just as Daddima states.

Yes, I remember it too, I was brought up in the North West
(West Riding) and the Whit walks and all the lovely new clothes, usually a flowery dress, white cardigan, white hat and gloves and sandals.Sadly no money in the pockets for spice though ( sweeties, to the unaware of the word.)

Chewbacca Yes, the Whitsuntide dresses were kept for best but always worn on a Sunday "to get the value out of it".
The dress from the year before, let out and the hems lengthened became 'playing out clothes'. Then I had a fairly plain dress, white socks and sandals for school.

After the Whit Walk, we either went to the local park for a sticky-bun-and-pop picnic, or to Sunday School if it rained.

There was another parade in May, but only from our school.

The May Queen led it in a bridesmaid's dress and blue velvet cape with a gold crown on her head. She was chosen by class ballot and the same wretched girl was chosen every year as she had long blonde hair.

She had maida of honour (also in bridesmaid's dresses) and pages and all those not in the Royal Entourage, brought their bikes, doll's prams, bikes and scooters into school where lots of crepe paper was provided in many colours - and we dressed up the wheels and handles.

Some people even had half-hoops arching up and over their bikes or prams to which hundreds of crepe paper flowers had been attached.

All the local Mums, grannnies and other housewives would come out onto the pavement and applaud us as we marched up and down the local streets.

Anyone who wanted, could then come back to school for the Crowning of the May Queen and watch us do country dancing (Black Nag) and dances elaborated plaits round the Maypole.

I wonder why we let these traditions go?

Talking about May Queens reminded me of the Sunday School queen tradition in our chapel. I was the Queen for one year and remember my mother making me a long pink brocade dress which I wore with a red cloak and cardboard crown. More happy memories.

DH was brought up Catholic and remembered the Whit walks well around Manchester/East Lands area.
I was brought up Methodist in Wiltshire and we just went to chapel as we had to do every Sunday anyway, but there were always special hymns.
We used to have new clothes for the Sunday School Anniversary, which was May or June. Used to hate it as we had to do a recitation, or sing, or act out little plays. And as a child I had a bad stammer, and just wanted the earth to open up.......

East Lancs, not Lands....

Loved the video Grannyactivist put up there.

I grew up in the North West and all the local churches held a walk of witness through the town. The children from the Sunday schools all walked behind a banner and a band. We had new clothes - party dresses for the girls and little hair ornaments (a bit like fascinators.) All the children carried a little bag of some sort and the spectators along the route would put pennies into them.