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.

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Feast of the Ascension

There is a tradition in some areas of picnicking on hilltops on the Feast of the Ascension. Both The Easter Book by Fr. F.X. Weiser, and Florence Berger's Cooking for Christ share this traditional activity to commemorate the feast. We have incorporated this tradition for our family in the last couple of years.

With Easter so much earlier this year, the end of the Easter season feasts are early as well. The weather in your area may not be conducive to a spring outing, but if it is, a spring hilltop picnic might be something to consider in your plans for this week. Even if you don't have a real hilltop nearby, just find the highest elevation around. It was suggested by a member on the 4 Real forums that a ride in a glass elevator on this day would be helpful to illustrate ascending as well. You could picnic on the top floor. It could be on Thursday which is the traditional 40 days after Easter when the Ascension feast was celebrated or over the weekend, specifically on Sunday when we celebrate liturgically the Feast of the Ascension.



What would the menu for an Ascension picnic include? There is not a set menu, but it is traditional to eat a bird of some sort (pigeon, pheasant, duck) since Jesus "flew" to heaven. In our culture chicken or turkey might be more common and available even though they are not know for their flight abilities.

Also any fruits as they represent Christ, the first fruit of all men. The Italians specifically brought beans and grapes to church on the feast of the Ascension. The grapes and beans were supposed to be used as a feast for the dead in heaven. These were blessed after the Memento of the Dead with the words,

Bless, O Lord, these new fruits of the vine which Thou hast brought to maturity by the dew of heaven, by plentiful rains and by tranquil and favorable weather. Thou hast given us this fruit for our use that we may receive it with thanks in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Possible Ascension Picnic Menu:
-Chicken or chicken salad sandwiches representing the birds
-Grapes for the first fruits
-Cream puffs for the "cloudy" cream filling
-Bubbly/carbonated drink (sparkling water, soda, sparkling cider) for the "rising" bubbles Pin It