Festival
Ascension of the Lord 2028: Date, History & Significance
Thursday
Thursday, 25 May 2028
Ascension of the Lord 2028 is on Thursday, 25 May 2028. The Ascension marks the fortieth day after Easter, when the risen Christ was taken up into heaven in the sight of his disciples, promising to send the Holy Spirit and to return. It is one of the principal feasts of the Christian year, kept with a special Mass and the reading of the Ascension account.
What is Ascension of the Lord?
The Paschal candle, lit since Easter, is traditionally extinguished after the Gospel on this day, marking the end of Christ's visible presence. The nine days from Ascension to Pentecost are kept as a novena of prayer for the coming of the Spirit — the original novena. In India it is observed with a weekday or Sunday Mass rather than as a holiday.
The story of Ascension of the Lord
By Luke and Acts, forty days after the Resurrection, on the Mount of Olives near Bethany, Jesus blessed the disciples, told them to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit, and was lifted up until a cloud hid him; two men in white asked why they stood gazing — he would come again as he went. The disciples returned to the upper room to pray.
Source: The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles; the liturgical calendar of the Church
History
The feast is attested from the fourth century; in many countries it has been transferred from Thursday to the following Sunday for pastoral reasons. It is not a public holiday in India.
- Indian Christian community practice (Latin, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, CSI, CNI, Orthodox)
- The Roman Missal / liturgical calendars
How Ascension of the Lord is observed
- Forty days after Easter, churches celebrate Christ's ascension into heaven with Mass and the reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
- In India the feast is often moved to the following Sunday so that more people can attend.
- The nine days that follow are kept as a novena of prayer for the Holy Spirit, leading to Pentecost.
Regional variations
- India-wide Christian communities. A feast-day Mass, the extinguishing of the Paschal candle, and the start of the Ascension-to-Pentecost novena.
Festive foods
- A Sunday meal — Where the feast moves to Sunday, families mark it at the Sunday lunch.
Why this date
Ascension falls on Thursday, 25 May 2028. Christ's ascension, 40 days after Easter.
at sunrise
The astronomical basis
Ascension of the Lord is dated by The 40th day of Easter — a Thursday (or transferred to the following Sunday); May or June. The movable feasts of the Christian year (Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost) are all reckoned from Easter, which is the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox; the fixed feasts (Christmas, Epiphany, the Annunciation, All Saints and All Souls) keep the same civil date each year.
The date is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar and shifts against the Gregorian year.
Ascension of the Lord dates 2022–2037
| Year | Date | Day | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Thursday, 26 May 2022 | Thu | — |
| 2023 | Thursday, 18 May 2023 | Thu | — |
| 2024 | Thursday, 9 May 2024 | Thu | — |
| 2025 | Thursday, 29 May 2025 | Thu | — |
| 2026 | Thursday, 14 May 2026 | Thu | — |
| 2027 | Thursday, 6 May 2027 | Thu | — |
| 2028 | Thursday, 25 May 2028 | Thu | — |
| 2029 | Thursday, 10 May 2029 | Thu | — |
| 2030 | Thursday, 30 May 2030 | Thu | — |
| 2031 | Thursday, 22 May 2031 | Thu | — |
| 2032 | Thursday, 6 May 2032 | Thu | — |
| 2033 | Thursday, 26 May 2033 | Thu | — |
| 2034 | Thursday, 18 May 2034 | Thu | — |
| 2035 | Thursday, 3 May 2035 | Thu | — |
| 2036 | Thursday, 22 May 2036 | Thu | — |
| 2037 | Thursday, 14 May 2037 | Thu | — |
Dates for New Delhi; they can differ by a day elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
When is Ascension of the Lord 2028?
Ascension of the Lord 2028 is on Thursday, 25 May 2028. Ascension falls on Thursday, 25 May 2028. Christ's ascension, 40 days after Easter.
Why is the Ascension forty days after Easter?
Acts says the risen Christ appeared to the disciples over forty days before being taken up. The number echoes other forty-day periods in scripture (the flood, Israel in the wilderness, Christ's fast) as a time of preparation.
What is the connection to Pentecost?
At the Ascension Jesus told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit. They prayed for nine days; on the tenth — Pentecost, the fiftieth day of Easter — the Spirit came. Those nine days are the original novena.
Related
Written by AstroTathya Editorial Team · Last updated 2026-09-08.
Date & panchang computed by the AstroTathya calculation engine, Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa; muhurat and timings are worked out for each city. How we calculate this → · Editorial policy
Sources & further reading
- The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles; the liturgical calendar of the Church
- Indian Christian community practice (Latin, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, CSI, CNI, Orthodox)
- Wikipedia