Ascension Picnic

In Cooking for Christ, Florence Berger writes about the tradition in some areas of picnicking on hilltops to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. You can pack the picnic basket with some symbolic Ascension themed foods to enjoy including chicken or chicken salad sandwiches to represent birds, fruit or fruit salad for the “first fruits of the Holy Spirit,” cream puffs representing the clouds, and a bubbly carbonated beverage for the “rising” bubbles!

Catholic Cuisine Contributor Mary Machado first posted about this tradition here at Catholic Cuisine back in 2008 and our family has enjoyed Ascension Picnics ever since. As we prepare to celebrate this year's feast of the Ascension I thought I would share a couple pictures from last year's picnic.

.: Our Ascension Picnic Menu :.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Chinese Chicken Salad

(It is traditional to eat some sort of bird since Jesus "flew" to heaven.)

Strawberries

(The fruit represents Christ, the first fruit of all men.)

Cream Puffs

(Symbolizing the clouds that were in the sky.)

Sparkling Grape Juice

(Chosen for the "rising" bubbles.)

I'll also be serving Ascension Pancakes once again (originally shared by Jamie and found in the archives here) for breakfast .  You can find additional ideas for the Feast of the Ascension in the archives.