The tradition of wearing green on the Solemn feast of Pentecost —the coming of the Holy Spirit— is seen as a Slavic tradition, but wearing green is one to adopt and relish because it is a symbol of new life in the Holy Trinity. Green is the color of new life and the suppleness of the Holy Spirit. Think of the spring burst of new life of plants, grass, and the leaving of trees plus the new life given to us in Baptism, Chrismation and the Eucharist. The newness (might we say the “green-ness, suppleness) of the Spirit’s gifts and fruits is something to ask for, and to live.
In the Melkite Church you will see the clergy wearing green and/or gold. Let’s wear green for Pentecost!
Our celebration of Pentecost –the coming of the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus before He ascended to the Father– is a constant reminder of our own “baptism by the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1 :5).
St. John Chrysostom (d . 407) admonished the faithful of his time not to celebrate the feast superficially, only adorning their homes with garlands (flowers), but rather spiritually adorning their souls with virtues in order to be more able to receive abundant fruits of the Holy Spirit (II Homily on Pentecost).