Ascension Day 2026

What is Ascension Day?

Ascension Day commemorates the ascent of Jesus into heaven, forty days after the resurrection, as told in the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels of Mark and Luke. According to Acts, Jesus appeared to the apostles over a period of forty days and was then taken up into a cloud while they watched. The feast marks the end of the appearances of the risen Jesus and prepares for Pentecost, ten days later. It is one of the few holidays in the Christian calendar that always falls on the same weekday. Many Christians count it among the great feasts.

In Germany the day is also known as Vatertag or Männertag, a men's day when groups go hiking with wagons and drinks, a secular custom that has grown alongside the religious one. In many countries, such as Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Austria and the Nordic states, it is a long-weekend holiday, and in a number of Catholic regions, processions with blessings of the fields and crops are held. Because it is a Thursday, many people take the Friday off as well, producing a four-day weekend. Church services are held in the morning, and in several countries, including Germany, outdoor services and blessing of the fields take place.

Why it is observed

The feast of the Ascension is one of the oldest festivals of the Christian year, mentioned by church writers in the fourth century. The number of days follows the Acts account of forty days between resurrection and ascension, and because Easter always falls on a Sunday, Ascension always falls on a Thursday. The Rogation days that precede it, with prayers for the harvest, gave the festival many agricultural customs in northern Europe. In the Reformation, Protestant churches in Germany and Scandinavia kept the day, and it stayed in their public calendars. Several Protestant states retained it as a public holiday.

How the date is set

Ascension Day falls 39 days after Easter Sunday, on the Thursday of the sixth week of Easter, which is the fortieth day of Eastertide when Easter Sunday counts as day one. On the Western calendar it ranges from 30 April to 3 June. Orthodox churches follow the Julian calculation, so their date is later.

How it is observed

Ascension Day is a public holiday in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Monaco, among others, and in many places the Friday after it is taken off as a bridge day. Banks, offices and most shops are closed, and roads and trains are busy with leisure travel. The date moves each year with Easter. Pay, bridge days and substitute arrangements depend on the country and the contract. Check each year's date, because Ascension moves from late April to early June. Confirm the exact date each year.