Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." Medieval Catholicism, and many other Christian churches to the present day, therefore celebrated both events as the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, usually on 1 January. Bernardino of Siena placed great emphasis on the Holy Name, which he associated with the IHS Christogram, and may be responsible for the coupling of the two elements. In the Latin Rite Catholic Church it is observed as an optional memorial on 3 January by Catholics following the present General Roman Calendar.
Feast of the Ascension the fields and placed at home until next year, for good fortune. The feast has been associated with specific hymns and other church music. The oldest hymn in German related to the feast is the Leise "Christ fuhr gen Himmel", first published in 1480. Johann Sebastian Bach composed several cantatas and the "Ascension Oratorio" to be performed in church services on the feast day. He first performed "Wer da gläubet und getauft wird, BWV 37", on 18 May 1724, "Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein, BWV 128", on 10 May 1725, "Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen, BWV 43", on 30 May 1726