Psalms 120 to 134, the ‘Songs of Ascents’ are the songs of the pilgrim caravans. There were three compulsory Jewish feasts in the year, in which every able-bodied man (and his family) was required to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem: the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16 v 16). Pilgrims making their way to and from Jerusalem would travel together in caravans, and there were special caravan rallying points (see for example Luke 2 v 41 to 50). ‘Ascents’ may refer to the fact that no matter from what direction you approach Jerusalem, you will always ‘go up’, as the city is surrounded by hills (Psalm 125 v 2).