The origin of the name "Whit Sunday" is generally attributed to the white garments formerly worn by those newly baptized on this feast.

That said, the Monday after Pentecost is a public holiday in Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, The British Virgin Islands, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Hungary, Iceland, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Monaco, Montserrat, The Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Switzerland, Togo and Ukraine.

This was to raise extra funds following the government's lack of preparation for a summertime heat wave, which led to a shortage of proper health care for the elderly.

In Germany, Whit Monday (German: Pfingstmontag [p͡fɪŋstˈmoːntaːk] ⓘ) is a Holy Day of obligation for Roman Catholics.

Until the 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar, they were part of the octave of Pentecost, which was added in the 7th century.

However, in February 2018, Pope Francis declared that henceforth, Whit Monday will be the fixed date for the celebration of a new feast, officially known as the "Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church" to be celebrated throughout the Western Catholic Church,[8] with the exception of the Ordinariates, where the octave of Whitsun Week has been restored and the new Memorial is observed on the Saturday after Ascension Day.