Heiligenstadt/Klüschen Hagis (dpa/th) - Forty days after Easter, the churches celebrate Ascension Day on Thursday. After a two-year break due to corona, the well-known Catholic men's pilgrimage to Klueschen Hagis in Eichsfeld will take place again this year, to which thousands of believers flocked before Corona. Organizer Tobias Gremler said that they are cautiously counting on almost 2,000 pilgrims to take part this year. The pilgrimage mass with Bishop Ulrich Neymeyr of Erfurt is scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m.
In many places, Protestant parishes are also celebrating outdoor services again this year. In Langenfeld, for example, a central open-air service is planned to mark the 725th anniversary of the town with regional bishop Friederike F. Spengler (10 a.m.). In the evening there will be prayers for peace, including at the market in Schleusingen, in Jena and in Römhild.
Since the 4th century, Christians have been celebrating the "raising" of Jesus into heaven, the return of the Son of God to the Father on Ascension Day. Ascension Day has been a public holiday in Germany since 1936. Many people also celebrate the day as Father's or Men's Day with "men's tours" and trips to the country.
