Ascension Day

Culture of origin: Christian · Cultural

Holiday sources: Armenian · Assyrian · Australia (national) · Canada (federal) · Christianity · France · Germany (nationwide) · United Kingdom (England and Wales) · United States (federal)

Ascension Day marks the Christian belief that Jesus rose bodily into heaven after appearing to his followers for forty days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3). It is kept on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter counted inclusively, though some churches move it to the following Sunday. The feast is very old: Augustine, in the early 5th century, called it apostolic, and the Orthodox count it among their Twelve Great Feasts.