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Ascension Day
Ascension Day is the Thursday of the sixth week after Easter Sunday in the Christian liturgical calendar. It is celebrated as the day when Jesus Christ bodily ascended to heaven in the presence of his Apostles, following the Resurrection.
Ascension is one of the principal feasts in the Christian calendar and always falls on a Thursday, being the 40th day after Easter Day. In some churches the service is moved to the following Sunday (the Sunday before Pentecost) - something which often occurs in the United States and those communities where there are no facilities to hold services during the course of the week.
In some churches and communities, the Sunday prior to Ascension is called Rogation Sunday and the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are also referred to as Rogation Days.
The feast itself has been celebrated since the time of Jesus Christ's crucifixion although prior to the 5th century (in common with many Christian beliefs) the historical data is minimal or non-existent.
Ascension is celebrated across the whole Christian community and the liturgies reflect Christ's entry into Heaven. In the Roman Catholic Church Ascension is a Holy Day of Obligation and it is one of the 12 Great Feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Germany (where it is also Father's Day) Ascension Day is a public holiday.Despite the importance of Ascension in the liturgy, there are no special celebrations or rites which are followed in any of the recognised churches.
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