The celebration of Whitsun, the day of Pentecost, is one of the most important holidays in the Christian tradition, yet it gets much less attention from mainstream society than other Christian holidays. It is difficult to say why the celebration of Pentecost is somewhat under the radar. One of the reasons why the celebration of Pentecost is not as famous outside of the Christian community as some other holidays like Easter or Christmas may have quite a bit to do with the fact that the ideas surrounding Pentecost are much more complicated and abstract than the ideas that surround some other Christian holidays. The stories of Easter and Christmas are easier to explain than the somewhat complex events that the holiday of Whitsun celebrates, so it is little wonder that these holidays get more attention from people who are not familiar with the subtleties Christianity and the day of Pentecost does.
Perhaps the primary reason why the celebration of Pentecost is not very widely acknowledged by non-Christians may be that the idea of the holy spirit's appearance to the apostle on Pentecost is an idea that is fairly difficult to grasp. Many people are uncertain as to how the Pentecost appearance differs in importance and substance from the resurrection that occurs on Easter. Still other people are just not familiar enough with the bible to be aware of the great importance that Pentecost holds for Christians.
Another reason why the celebration of Pentecost is not widely remarked upon by people of other faiths and traditions besides that of Christianity may have to do with the fact that Pentecost is a decidedly non-commercial holiday. The exchange of gifts that comes with Christmas Day leads to a marketing bonanza that inundates the culture with Christmas images, songs, and iconography for months. This intense marketing of Christmas that is meant to increase the amount of Christmas presents that people buy has as much to do with commercial business as it does with religion, but the end result is that many people who are not Christian still know quite a bit about Christmas and Christmas traditions. A similar dynamic occurs around the celebration of Easter, when images of Easter baskets are all over television and the media. Pentecost has no such iconography, and no such commercial aspect.
Whatever the cause, it is safe to say that those who are not of the Christian faith pay much less attention to the passing of Whitsun, the day of Pentecost, than they do to Easter or Christmas. The celebration of Pentecost is somewhat mysterious to people who are not Christians today, and it has been this way for decades if not centuries in the past. The fact that the celebration of Pentecost is somewhat under the radar isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it allows Christians to focus on the meaning of their holiday in private, away from the scrutiny of the world. The fact that the holiday of Pentecost is not commercialized in any way keeps it meaning pure, and in some ways Pentecost is one of the most spiritually affecting days in the modern Christian calendar.