Thursday's bank holiday marks the start of a long weekend for many Belgians, with many opting to also take the Friday off. This public holiday is an occasion to enjoy time away from work, but non-Christians may not realise that Ascension, sometimes called Holy Thursday, is a key celebration as part of the Easter cycle.
The public holiday always falls on a Thursday (29 May this year) and marks the day that Christians believe Jesus' body ascended into heaven – exactly 39 days after his resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday, and ten days before Pentecost or Whit Sun (which falls on 8 June this year).
The celebration is part of the 50-day Easter cycle, in which Ascension Day counts as the 40th day, and Pentecost as the 50th and final day. As these days are based on the lunar calendar, they fall on different dates each year.
Every year, traditional events take place across Belgium to mark the occasion, including the annual procession of the Holy Blood in the Flemish city of Bruges. During the event, the relic of the Holy Blood, a phial believed to contain cloth stained with the blood of Jesus Christ, is carried through the city centre.
The Holy Blood Procession in Bruges. Credit: Belga/ Kurt Desplenter
Around 1,700 participants sing, perform music, dance and act as part of the procession in Burgundian era costume. In 2009, the procession became a UNESCO-listed Intangible Cultural World Heritage site.
Every year on Ascension weekend, the 100 km of Ypres, also known as the 'In Flanders Fields March', takes place. This is an international three-day hike that traverses the war monuments and cultural heritage in and around the famous West-Flemish city.
What's open today?
As with other public holidays in Belgium, public and administrative services will not operate on Ascension Day, and neither will banks (online banking remains possible). Banks and most government services typically also take Friday as a holiday, meaning they will remain closed for the long weekend.
Postal services are also closed for the day, meaning no letters, packages or newspapers will be delivered. Unlike other services, they will operate as normal again on Friday.
Belgium's national railway service SNCB/NMBS, bus services De Lijn and TEC, and Brussels public transport company STIB/MIVB will continue to operate during the bank holiday, but with a reduced Sunday schedule. Nevertheless, commuters can still expect some limited disruption to their journeys.
Brussels' metro traffic on line 5 will be interrupted between the Jacques Brel and Erasme/Erasmus stations as STIB/MIVB is taking advantage of the extended weekend to replace three sets of points near the Saint-Guidon/Sint-Guido and Veeweyde/Veeweide stations as part of the metro network's maintenance and modernisation programme. Shuttle buses will replace the closed sections, and bus line 73 will be extended to Erasmus.
Credit: STIB/MIVB
As for groceries, the vast majority of supermarkets across the country – Aldi, Cora, Lidl, Colruyt, Makro and Okay – are closed today. Shops that usually remain open on Sundays, such as most Carrefour and Delhaize supermarkets, are likely to be open on the bank holiday too, as are some Intermarché and Spar shops, albeit with adjusted hours.
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Many shopping malls and retail shops across the country, such as City 2 and Docks Bruxsel, will also remain closed. Most other stores, such as those on Rue Neuve in Brussels, will also be shut. However, various smaller shops may open, depending on their management.
Most pharmacies will remain closed, but for urgent needs and medication, people can contact the pharmacist-on-duty in their municipality. The nearest on-duty pharmacy can be found here. While most doctors will not be working either, those in need of urgent medical care during the public holiday can get help from an on-call doctor by dialling 1733 (possible in Dutch, French, German and English).
Police services remain accessible at all times, but district offices are closed and are therefore not available for administrative matters. Those needing urgent police assistance should call the emergency number 112.
