Easter may have come and gone but the ceremonies and spectacles surrounding this holy time continue long after Easter Sunday mass at Saint Peter’s.
Seven Sundays after Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate Pentecost Sunday, a day when the Holy Spirit is said to come down to earth. Rome celebrates this day by raining rose petals down into the Pantheon through its oculus.
The ancient Pantheon, known since the 7th century as St. Mary and the Martyrs or Santa Maria Rotonda, hosts the event called Pioggia delle Rose (The Rain of Roses) or La Pioggia di Petali di Rose (The Rain of Rose Petals) in the afternoon following Pentecost mass. The event is free. But those who wish to attend must begin queuing hours before the event.
Post first published on May 22, 2015
