PCHS celebrates Pinkster: a holiday with a twist

MILFORD, PA — On Saturday, May 30 the Pike County Historical Society (PCHS) will hold the second annual Pinkster Celebration at 1:00 p.m. on the grounds of the Columns Museum, located on Broad Street.

Pinkster is a spring festival originated by the Dutch as a religious holiday. “Pinksteren,” meaning Pentecost, was celebrated since the early 17th century by Dutch settlers. It was a time of rest and to gather and celebrate religious services like baptisms and confirmations. For their African slaves, Pinkster was a time free from work and a chance to gather and catch up with family and friends located throughout New England. By the mid-19th century, however, Pinkster evolved into a primarily African-American holiday celebrated by slaves and free blacks, and liberally seasoned with African culture and traditions.

Pinkster is celebrated over several days. Both the Dutch and Africans enjoyed drinking, games, dance and music. Sellers decorated their stalls and carts with greenery and flowers, especially azaleas, which were associated with Pentecost. The dances practiced were a combination of African and European steps and elements, creating new dances which were the precursors to modern tap and break dancing.

The slaves used the opportunity of Pinkster to take jabs at whites, mimicking and ridiculing some of the white culture and habits through dramas, speeches, storytelling and song.

Milford and Pike County have an interesting history when it comes to the celebration of Pinkster. “The red letter day of the year was Pinkster,” wrote Charles F. Rockwell in his “Recollections of Men, Customs and Events in Milford Pennsylvania and Vicinity” (1889). This celebration included square dancing similar to the Virginia Reel and ended in what was called a “Patting Juber” where folks clapped their hands and kept time with their feet while young boys threw off some of their best steps to a roar of applause, both inside and out of the house. Rockwell describes this as “as happy as a scene as I have ever looked upon.”

The PCHS plans to live up to the jubilation of Pinkster with tye dying (bring your own T-shirt or purchase one), a baked goods and plant sale, and games. The fun starts at 1:00 p.m. on Museum grounds.

For more information visit pikecountyhistoricalsociety.org.