Thursday's bank holiday marks the start of a four-day weekend for many people in Belgium, as the majority of employees will opt to take the Friday off as well.
Ascension Day, sometimes called Holy Thursday, is a key celebration for Christians as it is part of the Easter cycle.
The public holiday always falls on a Thursday (14 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 24 May 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. These days fall on different dates every year, as they are based on the lunar calendar.
Annual procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges. Credit: Belga/Kurt Desplenter
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.
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 will also take Friday as a holiday, meaning they will remain closed for the long weekend.
Postal services are also closed on Thursday, 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.
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.
Illustration picture shows the interior of a supermarket. Credit: Sophie Kip/Belga
Many shopping centres and retail shops across the country, such as City 2 and Docks Bruxsel, will also remain closed on Thursday. Most other stores, such as those on Rue Neuve in Brussels, will also be shut. However, various smaller shops may open (especially on Friday), 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 the majority of GPs 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.
