Today is Pentecost Sunday which is the final, and 50th day of the Easter Season.
We always decorate for this festive occasion with balloons as Pentecost is often called the birthday of the Church.
The name, "Pentecost" was first given to the Jewish Feast of Weeks by Greek speaking Jews which fell on the 50th day after Passover; the day the first fruits of the corn harvest were presented as thank offerings in the Temple. By the time of Jesus, the festival was increasingly observed as a commemoration of the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
It was the Jewish feast of Pentecost that the Apostles and other Disciples had gathered to celebrate. During this first Pentecost after the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus, the new young Church received the gift of the Holy Spirit. So for Christians, Pentecost has become a celebration of thanksgiving for the new life of the Church through Gods's gift of the Holy Spirit.
For a Bibical reference, look at Acts 2:1-4.
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