Rogation days

Rogation days
Blessing the Fields on Rogation Sunday at Hever, Kent in 1967
Observed byChristians
Liturgical colorViolet
ObservancesFasting and processions
Date25 April (Major)
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday preceding Ascension Thursday (Minor)
2023 date25 April; 15–17 May
2024 date25 April; 6–8 May
2025 date25 April; 26–28 May
Frequencyannual
Related toAscension Thursday

Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The so-called major rogation is held on 25 April;[a] the minor rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday preceding Ascension Thursday.[1] The word rogation comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning "to ask", which reflects the beseeching of God for the appeasement of his anger and for protection from calamities.[2][3]

Rogation Sunday is celebrated on the 5th Sunday after Easter (also known as the 6th Sunday of Easter) in the Anglican tradition.[4][5] This day is also known in the Lutheran tradition as Rogate Sunday.[6]


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  1. ^ Reff, Daniel T. (2005). Plagues, Priests, and Demons: Sacred Narratives and the Rise of Christianity in the Old World and the New. Cambridge University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9781139442787.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Customs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Mershman 1912.
  4. ^ Rogation Days: A Rookie Anglican Guide
  5. ^ A Table of the Movaeble Feasts, www.churchofengland.org
  6. ^ Sutton, J., What is Rogate Sunday?, Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Terre Haute, published 5 May 2018, accessed 24 September 2023