it's one of the things that the ancient culture of "gods" do. i feel a connection to that culture, when i read about it, i'm like "that's how it should be" honor the dead with a memory that will remain forever in the knowledge of the people who come after.
there is a literal meaning to "ascension" like that of Jesus and Enoch who were taken up, but there is also a figurative, honorific form that when you are gone that if you did something important in our life, that you will have a memory created in the culture to honor you. mind you, sometimes those are not very honorable. Like Phaeton or aka "The Son of Man" which was named after an asteroid that was involved in an event about 10000 years ago that scarred the land of north africa and the middle east, making them into deserts.
which is a funny name, but the word isn't strictly associated with Jesus anyway, it comes from a long time before that. probably another terrible tyrant considering that its appearance was that of a fiery dragon that ruined everything it passed.