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Does the Netherlands celebrate Ascension Day?

Ascension Day is a traditional Christian religious holiday, and the Netherlands mainly believe in Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, so they also celebrate Ascension Day. The Ascension Day in the Netherlands is called Hemelvaartsdag, which is also a legal holiday on the 40th day after Easter.

Ascension Day is also known as “Ascension Feast of Jesus” and “Ascension Day”. Christian holiday commemorating the “ascension” of Jesus. According to the New Testament, Jesus “ascended” on the 40th day after his “resurrection”. The church defines the 40th day after Easter (between May 1st and June 4th) as the festival.

Legend has its origins in the Jerusalem church, held around the 4th century. Due to different calendars, on specific dates, after the Western Church uses the Gregorian calendar, the festivals are the same as the current Gregorian calendar; the Eastern Orthodox Church and other Eastern churches still use the old calendar, and the festivals are often 13 or 14 days later than the Gregorian calendar.

Legend has it that it originated in the Jerusalem church, which began around the 4th century. Due to different calendars, the Orthodox Church and other Eastern churches still use the old calendar, with festivals 13 and 14 days later than the Gregorian calendar.

Ascension is always on Thursday, and it can be seen as a continuation of the events celebrated at Easter. This holiday commemorates the final ascension of Christ – after the resurrection and the entrustment to his disciples. Theologically, ascension signifies the end of the appearance of the risen Christ to his disciples. These appearances are detailed in the Gospels and vaguely mentioned in the New Testament letters, and they follow the resurrection. The ascension shows the importance of the theme of “ascension,” Jesus is seen as having been exalted to the right hand of God.

According to the definition of the Catholic Church, this ascension means “the final entry of the human Jesus into the glorious world of God.” Before 1965, churches had a custom on this day to use a rope to pull up a statue of Jesus during Mass. , pulled out of a hole above the church. This custom is exempted by the decree of a church. It has been forgotten so far. But churches in some places still do this. Although they no longer drag the statue of Jesus out of a hole, there is always a way to make it disappear from the altar.

Ascension is always scheduled on the Thursday 40 days after Easter Sunday. The Bible says: “After his crucifixion, he showed the apostles by many evidences that he was alive. During a period of 40 days, he appeared to them continually, proclaiming to them the kingdom of God.” This experience appeared in Luke In the Gospels, it also appears in the story of the apostles written by Luke. The story of the apostles says: On the third day of his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the heap of the dead, and after speaking to his disciples, he rose before their eyes, and a cloud carried him up until he left the disciples’ sight.

An important event in the Netherlands to celebrate the Ascension Day is “Dauwtrappen” (Dauwtrappen). Back in the 19th century, people went barefoot into nature early in the morning due to the medicinal effects of dew. Even today, hikers and cyclists leave early, especially in the east and south of the Netherlands. In 2010, Dauwtrappen was ranked 27th among the 100 most important Dutch folk traditions by the Dutch Folk Culture Centre.