Feast of the Ascension

Origins and history

The feast is old. Eusebius, writing in the 4th century, seems to point to it being kept then, and Augustine of Hippo, early in the 5th century, called it apostolic in origin and treated it as long established. It appears often in the writings of John Chrysostom and Gregory of Nyssa and in the Apostolic Constitutions. A pilgrim named Aetheria described a vigil and the feast itself at the church over the Bethlehem grotto. Some scholars think that before the 5th century the Ascension was remembered together with Easter or Pentecost; a decree of the Synod of Elvira, around 300, has been read as evidence. Images of the scene survive on 5th-century ivories and wall paintings, and hymns for the day appear in the Georgian Chantbook of Jerusalem.

Keeping the day

Catholics keep it as a solemnity and a holy day of obligation, so Mass is expected. Lutherans call it a feast and Anglicans a principal feast. Anglican prayer books also give Holy Thursday as a name for the day, though most churches now use that term for the Thursday of Holy Week. The three days before Ascension are Rogation days, and the Sunday before is Rogation Sunday. A vigil is kept, and from the 15th century the feast gained an octave, an eight-day stretch given to a novena that prepares for Pentecost. Methodists print a collect for the day in their 1965 Book of Worship for Church and Home.

In the Eastern churches

Eastern Orthodox Christians call the feast Analepsis, meaning the taking up, and sometimes Episozomene, salvation from on high. The Orthodox year numbers the day among its twelve greatest feasts. An all-night vigil is kept. On the eve, readings from Isaiah and Zechariah are said at Vespers and a Lity is celebrated. At Matins the Epitaphios is carried in procession around the church. The Gospel read then comes from Mark. At the Divine Liturgy special antiphons replace two psalms and the Beatitudes, and the readings come from the opening of Acts and the close of Luke's gospel.

Sunday or Thursday

The Thursday date is traditional, but in places where the day is not a public holiday many parishes have been allowed to move it to the Sunday before Pentecost, sometimes called Ascension Sunday. Permission comes from Rome, and each bishops' conference decides, sometimes leaving the choice to a province led by an archbishop and his neighbouring bishops. Methodists allow a similar shift. Australia made the change in 1992, Ireland in 1997, Canada and parts of the western United States before 1998, and much of the rest of the United States from 1999. England and Wales used the Sunday from 2007 to 2017, then returned to Thursday.

Music and singing

Music for the day is plentiful. The oldest German hymn on the theme, the Leise 'Christ fuhr gen Himmel', was first printed in 1480. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote several cantatas for Ascension services, in 1724, 1725 and 1726, and an oratorio performed in 1735. Psalms 24, 47 and 68 are often sung; the line about lifting up the gates from Psalm 24 shaped a scene in Handel's Messiah and a German hymn published in 1810. Later composers added their own settings, among them Olivier Messiaen's orchestral suite L'Ascension, written in the 1930s.

How Feast of the Ascension is kept

In Western churches the day is kept with a service or a Mass. Orthodox practice begins the evening before, which is the last day of the Easter season: an all-night vigil is held, and at Matins the Epitaphios, a cloth that had lain on the altar since Holy Saturday, is carried in procession around the church and then put back in its place. Special antiphons replace two psalms and the Beatitudes at the Divine Liturgy.

When and where

The date moves each year because it hangs on Easter. Ascension falls on the fortieth day of Easter, a Thursday, so it can come as early as 30 April or as late as 3 June in the Western churches; when moved to Sunday the range runs from 3 May to 6 June. Orthodox churches, which calculate Easter differently, keep it between 13 May and 16 June.

The feast is kept wherever Christian churches follow the liturgical year. Some countries treat it as a public holiday, others do not. Australia moved its observance to the Sunday in 1992, Ireland in 1997, and Canada and parts of the western United States before 1998. England and Wales kept the Sunday from 2007 to 2017, then went back to the Thursday.

What Feast of the Ascension means

For those who keep it, the day marks the end of Jesus's bodily time on earth and the start of his reign from heaven. The Greek name Analepsis means 'taking up'; another Greek name, Episozomene, speaks of salvation from on high, because the ascent was understood to complete the work of redemption. The day before ends the Easter season, and the ten days that follow, known as Ascensiontide, lead towards Pentecost.

Days Feast of the Ascension is marked

Questions people ask about Feast of the Ascension

See also

Good FridayA solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.Holy WeekThe solemn seven days leading to Easter, recalling the final week and Passion of JesusSmoking ceremonyAn Aboriginal Australian ritual of burning native plants to cleanse, heal and welcomeAkhand PathThe unbroken, continuous reading of the entire Sikh scripture over two days

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Feast of the Ascension on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-09.