Great Vespers, Matins and Great Prokimenon for the Feast of Pentecost.On the fiftieth day after Easter, all Christian Churches celebrate the feast of Pentecost. They commemorate the pouring out of the Spirit of Jesus onto his disciples, when on the morning of the Jewish feast of Pentecost the Apostles saw descending on them tongues of fire. On this day Christians live more than the mere memory of a past event. It is for them a fulfillment of the ancient promises made by God to Abraham. The bestowal of the Holy Spirit, announced by Jesus before His Passion and Resurrection, is the first fruits of the universal blessing promised by God and now extended to the entire world. The Holy Spirit is both the object of the promise and object of the fervent supplication of Christians: He is the only drink that can quench their thirst for God. This is why the liturgical celebration of this foundational event of the Christian life is not a mere commemoration: it is a sacramental act – a ‘memorial’ – which marks, evokes and intensifies the coming of the Holy Spirit into the community brought together in Jesus’ name.This recording includes above all extensive parts of the vigil of Pentecost Sunday as celebrated in the Byzantine-Slav tradition.