The great Christian feast of the Ascension of the Lord and the feast of Saints Constantine and Helena coincide in 2026, being celebrated on May 21. It is also the day of commemoration of the nation's heroes. The people keep a number of traditions related to the moment when the eggs are dyed and the sharing of the pieces.
Eggs turn red on Ascension for the last time in the year PHOTO: Pixabay/nowaja
In 2026, the Ascension – feast with variable date, set 40 days after Easter and Saints Constantine and Helena – feast with fixed date, are celebrated together, on May 21.
In the popular tradition, customs related to the dyeing of Ascension eggs have been preserved to this day, being the last occasion of the year when this can be done, but also to the distribution of pieces for the souls of the departed.
The Ascension of the Lord, popularly known as Ispas, is also the day when the nation's heroes are remembered.
Red Ascension eggs are dyed on the morning of the holiday
The Ascension of the Lord is the last opportunity of the year to dye red eggs (you can dye red eggs from the week before the Resurrection of the Lord until the Ascension). According to the tradition preserved to this day in many areas of the country, the eggs are painted on the very morning of the holiday or on its eve, unlike the Resurrection, when most Orthodox Christians do it on Maundy Thursday. In the Christian tradition, the red egg symbolizes the blood shed by Jesus Christ on the cross, which is why we use red eggs from the Resurrection to the Ascension, as a sign of life's victory over death.
Why we dye Ascension eggs red and what we do with them
The Ascension of the Lord is the last occasion of the year to fry eggs, the gesture remembering the blood shed by Jesus. Eggs reddened by the Ascension are then taken to the church for blessing, and can later be distributed to commemorate the dead.
In popular tradition, red eggs also have the power to protect the house and household and protect family members from illness, so it is customary to keep an egg from those reddened at Ascension until the following year.
In many areas of the country, the greeting “Christ is risen!” is used for the Ascension, followed by the response “Truly He is risen!”, similar to the one at Easter. The same words are uttered by those who collide red Ascension eggs. In popular belief there is even a belief that those who collide with Ispas eggs will also meet in the other world.
What is given as alms at the Ascension of the Lord
Along with red eggs, Christians share the Ascension and dishes that they prepare in the same way as for the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord: cake, Easter, cheese, pies and homemade dishes, wine, but also green onions and green garlic.
In certain areas, the mentioned dishes are shared together with new dishes (plates and cups).
On Ascension, Christians are careful not to argue or hold grudges. Hard words are not said, because the soul must be clean and reconciled.
The holiday must be observed like Resurrection Day, so no work is done either in the fields or in the household. Even lighter chores are not allowed. It is not washed, it is not sewn, being a day dedicated to the soul, not to worldly cares.
In some communities, it is also customary for people to take walnut and linden leaves to church on this day, which after the consecration are placed at the gates or windows with a protective role.
Ascension of the Lord – the day when the bells toll for the heroes of the nation
The Ascension of the Lord is also the day on which the heroes of the nation are remembered, the honoring and commemoration of heroes on this date being instituted by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1920, later the decision was confirmed by the synodal decisions of 1991 and 2001, when, according to basilica.ro, this day received the status of a National Church Holiday.
On Ascension Day, at 12:00 p.m., the bells of all the churches within the Romanian Patriarchate will ring in memory of the Romanian heroes.
