Overview

• Christi Himmelfahrt commemorates Jesus Christ’s ascension 40 days after Easter, an event described in the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles.
• As a movable feast observed on a Thursday, the 2025 celebration took place on 29 May and is a statutory holiday in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands.
• Clergy and congregations led outdoor services and Bittprozessionen, invoking blessings for good weather, a bountiful harvest and protection from natural calamities.
• The secular Vatertag tradition originated in 19th-century Berlin as male-only Schinkentouren with beer and wagons and has since evolved into family-oriented outings across the country.
• Official data indicate that traffic incidents on Vatertag surge as much as threefold, prompting authorities to urge responsible celebration.