Holidays

The UPCI observes Christmas and Easter as Christian holidays celebrating the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Unlike some of the more sectarian Holiness or Adventist traditions, the UPCI does not regard these holidays as having pagan origins incompatible with Christian observance. Christmas and Easter services are occasions for worship, evangelism, and community celebration.

Pentecost Sunday holds special significance in UPCI culture — celebrating the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2) and the continuing experience of Spirit baptism that the UPCI regards as the central feature of Christian life. Many UPCI churches hold special services or revivals around Pentecost that emphasize the baptism of the Holy Spirit and altar calls for the new birth experience.

The UPCI's holiness standards do affect how members engage with certain holiday cultural practices. Halloween, for example, is typically avoided by UPCI members as incompatible with a holy, separated lifestyle. The broader UPCI holiness culture — which restricts participation in movies, television, mixed-gender swimming, and other forms of 'worldly' entertainment — shapes how the community engages with the cultural dimensions of all holidays.