How Do We Know About Pinkster?

An account in the New-York Weekly Journal newspaper in March, 1737, describes a Pinkster gathering in fields just outside of New York City. In particular it notes the use of African-style musical instruments during Pinkster. Market festivities during Pinkster are described in Thomas DeVoe's The Market Book: A History of the Public Markets of the City of New York, which was published in 1862 but drew on memories of earlier, first-hand experiences. James Fenimore Cooper includes a description of an 18th-century Pinkster celebration in his novel Satanstoe, published in 1845.

Two important descriptions document Pinkster at Albany, including details about the character and role of King Charles. A detailed account appeared in the Albany Centinel in June 1803. In the same year, a pamphlet appeared in Albany entitled "The Pinkster Ode," written by Absalom Aimwell (probably a pseudonym). This lengthy poem has satiric elements, but also a strong abolitionist viewpoint. It was reprinted in 1952 in the New York Folklore Quarterly, Vol. Eight. Another eyewitness account is provided by Dr. James Eights in "Pinkster Festivals in Albany Sixty Years Ago," which appeared in Collections on the History of Albany, Vol. 2 (Albany, 1867).

How is Pinkster Celebrated Today?

Philipsburg Manor, a nationally significant historic site in Sleepy Hollow, New York, continues the Pinkster tradition today. The Pinkster festival at Philipsburg Manor is a fun, educational one-day only event for visitors of all ages. The event acknowledges both the oppression of slavery in New York and the ultimate triumph over it. It is the only authentic re-creation of Pinkster in North America, combining some of the most vibrant elements from over a hundred years of Hudson Valley Pinkster celebrations. From the Dutch tradition come children's games like ninepins and stilts, special baked goods of the holiday, egg-dyeing, and European-style country dancing. From the African tradition come storytelling, drumming, dance, a grand parade, and the election of a Pinkster King.

In the colonial period, Philipsburg Manor's Upper Mills property consisted of over 50,000 acres owned by the Philipses, wealthy Dutch merchants. A community of 23 enslaved Africans lived there year-round, overseeing the operation of a grist mill and large farm. European tenants, many of them Dutch, rented manor land from the Philipses and grew wheat as a cash crop.

We do not know whether the African and Dutch residents of the manor held their own Pinkster festivities at Philipsburg in the 1700s or if they traveled to one of the larger urban celebrations nearby. But we can be certain that they looked forward to the holiday and took full advantage of its observation.

Further Reading

The following books are of interest for their treatment of Pinkster and other African American festivals. These books and others can be found in the Museum Shop at Philipsburg Manor.

Roger D. Abrahams, Singing the Master
(Penguin, 1993)

Graham Russell Hodges, Slavery and Freedom in the Rural North (Madison House, 1997)

Shane White, Somewhat More Independent (University of Georgia, 1991)

A.J. Williams-Myers, Long Hammering
(Africa World Press, 1994)

Sharon Dennis Wyeth, Once on This River
(Random House, 1998)