May is called the Month of Pentecost, yet Pentecost itself, being a moving holiday, can fall between May 10 and June 13, depending on the time of Easter: this year we celebrate it between June 9-10.
There are many folk customs associated with the celebration of Pentecost. Girls sometimes walked with boys on Pentecost Sunday from house to house, singing and dancing after asking for entry. There were several types of customs in the different regions: the Pentecostal Queen may have been a central figure, standing out from the others with her dress itself; it may have resembled a wedding procession; and it also happened that no special prominent actors were selected. If both girls and bachelors took part in the celebration, usually a common dance party closed the day. A similar, though distinct, custom is the Walk of the Pentecostal Queen, during which usually five girls walked from house to house, including the youngest one, the little queen, led by the others, singing a greeting song, connected with fertility magic. Pentecostal customs, also had a fundraising function, those marching usually received eggs and some money in return.
At Pentecost, green branches were placed on houses, fences, stables to keep evil and harmful spirits away; in some cases maypoles were also erected at this time. Weather and yield predictions are also associated with the holiday. Pentecostal dew was attributed a beauty-winning power: before sunrise, girls washed in the dew in the garden to make their skin beautiful.
