pentecost
Dutch settlers originally brought Pinkster celebrations to America in the seventeenth century. For the Dutch, it was a celebration of the change of the seasons and the springtime renewal of life. The celebration corresponded with the Episcopal Whitsunday. While the holiday had Dutch origins, by the nineteenth century, in Albany, it was primarily a black holiday. Thus, as celebrated by slaves, the holiday became a combination of its Dutch roots and the African culture of slaves.