This is the beginning of the Ascension weekend. Ascension Thursday is a date that delights many French people every year, because many of them benefit from a long weekend.
As Ascension is always a Thursday, it is common to see many people benefit from an extended weekend by taking a day off or an RTT on Friday. In addition, since 2015, the Ministry of National Education systematically releases Fridays in schools, so that students benefit from a long weekend. It is the only systematic "bridge" in the school calendar.
See alsoAscension Bridge: traffic classified red Wednesday and Thursday, black for returns Sunday
- What do Christians celebrate?
Located between Easter and Pentecost, the Ascension is a Christian holiday celebrating, according to the texts, the day when Jesus Christ left his disciples to join his Father in heaven. It commemorates the ascension of Jesus Christ to heaven 40 days after His Resurrection. The name of this celebration comes from the Latin "ascensio", which means "to climb towards". For Christians, this date symbolizes eternal life.
The feast of #Ascension tells us that Jesus ascended to heaven to remain glorious at the right hand of the Father, and, at the same time, he is still and always among us: this is where our strength, our perseverance and our joy come from.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex_fr) May 24, 2020
- Why does it always fall on a Thursday?
As previously stated, Jesus Christ's Ascension to heaven took place 40 days after His Resurrection. If the date changes every year, the Ascension is always a Thursday, since it always takes place on the 40th day after Easter Sunday, the day of Christ's Resurrection.
- Why and since when is it a public holiday?
In France, the Ascension became a non-working day during the Ancien Régime, when the country, mostly rural, lived to the rhythm of Christian festivals. During the French Revolution, secular celebrations had replaced the Christian festivals of Christmas, Ascension, Assumption and All Saints' Day, but the latter were re-established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte under the Concordat signed with Pope Pius VII.
Despite the separation of church and state in 1905, the Ascension remained a public holiday, along with Christmas, the Assumption and All Saints' Day.
