Darmstadt/Limburg (dpa/lhe) – This Thursday (May 26) church communities in Hesse want to draw attention to the Christian background of the Ascension Day holiday with numerous open-air events. Among other things, outdoor services, joint barbecues or events with Ukrainian musicians are planned.
“The communities are trying to celebrate Ascension Day again, to make it more attractive and to adapt to the customs,” said a spokesman for the Evangelical Church in Hesse and Nassau (EKHN) in Darmstadt. The classic holiday service has had its day in many areas, and services with an event character are in demand.
“Ascension Day is difficult. But the ecclesiastical background of the holiday remains – and the communities make that clear,” said a spokesman for the Limburg diocese. On this day Christians celebrate the return of Jesus as the Son of God to his Father. Because the day is celebrated 40 days after Easter, it always falls on a Thursday.
At the same time, Father’s Day is traditionally celebrated in Germany – often as a communal drinking session, with groups of men walking around with handcarts and lots of alcohol. After two years of the pandemic and strict contact restrictions, this could escalate particularly this year, especially since the German weather service predicts sunshine and temperatures of up to 23 degrees across Hesse in the afternoon.
“We are showing presence,” announced a spokesman for the police in Frankfurt. In Hesse’s largest city, the association “Perspektive Ukraine” is meanwhile giving Father’s Day a whole new meaning: According to its own account, it wants to “commemorate the Ukrainian fathers who are fighting against Putin’s invading army” and honor the men “who never left the country” on the central opera square war will return”.
