How is Christmas 2020 celebrated in Armenia? This country, in which Christianity was proclaimed the state religion in 301, became the first Christian state in the world.

Most of the inhabitants of Armenia are Christians, and there is a special attitude to one of the main Christian holidays - Christmas.

Why do Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 6, 2020?

What are the traditions of the Christmas holiday in Armenia? We will talk about this and much more in this article. Let's start with the fact that the very date of the holiday differs from that adopted in other countries.

Why is Armenian Christmas celebrated on January 6? Until the 5th century, all Christian churches celebrated the feast of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany on this day. Later, some churches moved the date of the holiday, while the Armenian church remained true to the old traditions.

On the eve of Christmas, the liturgy of Christmas Eve is served in Armenian churches. Believers light a candle in the church and take it home to bless it. This candle symbolizes the light of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the infant Christ.

According to the Christmas tradition, in Armenia, on the morning of January 6, the Christmas Liturgy is served. Then the feast of the baptism of Christ is held in the temples with the ceremony of blessing the water.

The water is consecrated by the clergy, then it is distributed to the parishioners. Believers keep Epiphany water for a year and treat it like a shrine.

Traditional Christmas dishes are served at the festive table. This is a fish that has been a symbol of Christianity since ancient times. It is also customary to treat guests with plav (pilaf) with raisins: rice represents humanity, and raisins represent the elect chosen by the Lord.

How to say Merry Christmas in Armenian?

Merry Christmas greetings in Armenian sound like this:
Շնորհավոր Սուրբ ծնունդ – Shnoravor Surb Tsenund.

Happy New Year! – Շնորհավոր Նոր տարի (Shnoravor Nor tari).

Armenians also say:

I wish you many happy years, health and success in your career անքային վերելքներ.

I wish you good luck - Հաջողություն եմ ցանկանում (Ajokhutyun em tsankanum),

I wish you happiness - Երջանկություն եմ ցանկանում (Erjankutyun em tsankanum).

The Armenian Apostolic Church, the only one among Christian churches, celebrates the feast of the Nativity of Christ on January 6 at the same time as Epiphany. The name of the holiday is Epiphany.

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, will lead a solemn Christmas liturgy in the Cathedral of Etchmiadzin (a monastery in the city of Vagharshapat, the residence of the Catholicos). The divine service will be attended by leaders of the country, government members, deputies, ambassadors accredited in Yerevan, political figures and parishioners.

“Only the Armenian Church has preserved the ancient custom of celebrating the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany on the same day. Other churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 or January 7, and Epiphany on January 6 or 19,” Etchmiadzin press office told RIA Novosti.

All Christians until the 4th century celebrated Christmas on January 6th. According to the Old Testament, no one had the right to preach before the age of 30, and in ancient times the church celebrated Christmas and Epiphany on the same day, since Christ began to preach at the age of 30 and after baptism.

However, even after the adoption of Christianity, paganism among the Romans did not lose its position. With great pomp, on December 25, the feast of worship of the sun was celebrated. To eliminate pagan customs, in 336 the Roman Church officially decided to consider December 25 as the day of the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

The feast of the Nativity and Theophany is the day of the coming into the world, that is, the appearance of Jesus Christ. It begins on the evening of January 5, as the church day changes after the evening service.

On January 6, after the Christmas Liturgy, the Blessing of Water is performed, which symbolizes the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River. Water is sanctified by the Bible, the cross and the world, after which it is distributed to those present. The next day, a liturgy of commemoration of the dead is served in the Armenian church, a memorial service is performed to soothe the souls of the deceased.

YEREVAN, January 5. News-Armenia. The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Holy Christmas and Epiphany. Since the church day changes at 17.00, following the evening service, they begin to celebrate Holy Christmas on January 5th in the evening and continue on January 6th.

On the evening of January 5, the Holy Liturgy of Chrakaluyts (lighting of lamps) is served in all churches. Candles are also lit. On this evening, people take with them to their homes the lamps and candles lit in the church. They symbolize the divine light, the blessing of the church. The lighting of the lamps symbolizes the light of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the Infant Jesus.

During the Baptism of the Lord, a testimony appeared from God the Father: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat. 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22) and the Holy Spirit descended on Christ in the form of a dove This is how the second Epiphany takes place.Thus, the church celebrates the double revelation of Theophany through Christmas and the Baptism of Christ together on January 6 and under the general name "Revelation" or "Theophany".

The holiday begins on the evening of January 5th and extends past midnight. On the 5th of January, Christmas Eve of the Epiphany is celebrated and the Holy Liturgy is served. On the morning of January 6, the Holy Liturgy is also served, after which the rite of blessing the water is performed - in memory of the Baptism of Jesus (the people say: "The cross falls into the water").

With His Baptism, Jesus blessed the water. The Servant of the Liturgy adds St. Miro and blesses her with a prayer. According to tradition, believers bring some of this water to their homes as a healing agent for the sick, since the water consecrated on this day is called Epiphany and has special beneficial properties. Epiphany water should be reverently kept and treated as a great shrine. The good news of the birth of Christ is also conveyed by priests, visiting believers and consecrating their homes, the official website of the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese notes.

The birth of Jesus happened like this

By order of Emperor Augustus, a census was conducted of the population of the Roman Empire, which included Palestine. According to that, every citizen had to register in the city where he comes from. Joseph, taking Mary, went to Jewish Bethlehem.

There was no place for them in any hotel. They sheltered in a cave where there was a barn, and there She gave birth to Jesus. The Son of God was born in poverty, in an unprepossessing cave, like our souls. Witnesses of the Nativity of Christ were shepherds from nearby villages, to whom the angels brought the good news of the birth of the Savior: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men!" (Luke 2:14).

Then the magi, led by a new star, came from the east to worship the Child. They brought Him three gifts - gold as a king, frankincense as God and myrrh as a mortal man, and then returned to their lands.--0--

It is well known that Armenians treat their traditions with great trepidation. Being an ancient Christian nation, which the Armenians are also very proud of, they, of course, observe all church holidays, among which Christmas has its own special place. The celebration lasts more than one day and is accompanied by numerous rituals, rooted in the centuries-old Christian history of the country.

The actual feast of the Nativity of Christ in Armenia is celebrated on January 6 - a day earlier than is customary in the Orthodox tradition, which also has a historical justification. Until the 5th century, Christmas and Epiphany in many Christian countries were traditionally celebrated at the same time - on the night of January 5-6. However, over time, some Christian denominations changed this custom, establishing two different holidays. The Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC) remained faithful to the early Christian tradition. The joint feast of the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany has a common name - Epiphany. In Armenia, the feast of the Epiphany is also called "Little Easter".

Christmas Eve is called "Chragaluyts" (lighting of the lamps) and is celebrated, respectively, on January 5th. In the evening, the Liturgy is served in the churches, and the faithful bring a Christmas fire from the temple to the house, symbolizing the light of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the baby Christ. The light of thousands of lit candles and lamps makes the Christmas holiday bright in every sense of the word.

On the morning of January 6, the Christmas Liturgy is already held in the churches, after which the rite of the Blessing of Water takes place, symbolizing the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River. The water is consecrated with holy chrism, prayer and a cross and distributed to parishioners. It is believed that baptismal water has healing properties.

Rite of Consecration

The most magnificent and crowded divine service takes place in the ancient monastery of Armenia, Etchmiadzin (literally, “The Place of the Descent of the Only Begotten”). The temple was built immediately after the adoption of Christianity by Armenia under King Trdat III in 301-303. Until recently, the residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians was located here, which was later transferred to Yerevan. Nevertheless, Etchmiadzin with its numerous temples, seminaries, and simply, according to old memory, still remains the main spiritual center of Armenia.

As in the Catholic and Orthodox world, Christmas in Armenia is a family holiday. And like all such holidays, they cannot do without a special menu, which includes without fail fish (an ancient symbol of Christianity) and sweet pilaf with raisins and dried fruits (rice is a symbol of all mankind, raisins are a symbol of the elect). Dry red wine is also an obligatory attribute of the Christmas table. In some families, it is customary to serve tolma in grape leaves and snacks from greens, in particular spinach.

On this bright day for all believers, it is customary to gather in a narrow circle of the closest and dearest and spend a warm, quiet evening together, often remembering relatives who have recently left the mortal world. Tomorrow, January 7, a liturgy of commemoration of the dead will be served in the Armenian church and a memorial service will be performed to soothe the souls of the deceased. On this day, according to tradition, one should visit the graves of loved ones.

Photo report: Evening Liturgy (Chragaluyts), St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral, Yerevan, January 5, 2016

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(AAC) - the only one among Christian churches - will celebrate on Wednesday the feast of the Nativity of Christ simultaneously with Epiphany under the general name of Epiphany.

New Year's table in Armenia - ancient and modernNew Year celebrations last in Armenia for 13 days - up to and including the old New Year. The Armenian New Year is literally saturated with various symbols, and the traditional Armenian New Year's cuisine is one of the elements of traditions and customs.

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II will serve a solemn Christmas liturgy at the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. The divine service will be attended by leaders of the country, government members, deputies, ambassadors accredited in Yerevan, political figures and parishioners.

"Only the Armenian Church has preserved the ancient custom of celebrating the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany on the same day. Other churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 or January 7, and Epiphany on January 6 or 19," RIA Novosti was told in the press office of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin (a monastery in city ​​of Vagharshapat, the residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians).

According to the Old Testament, no one had the right to preach before the age of 30. The Church celebrated Christmas and Epiphany on the same day, since Christ began to preach at the age of 30 and after baptism.

All Christians before the fourth century celebrated Christmas on January 6th. However, even after the adoption of Christianity, paganism among the Romans did not lose its position. With great pomp, on December 25, the feast of worship of the sun was celebrated. To eliminate pagan customs, in 336 the Roman Church officially decided to consider December 25 as the day of the Nativity of Jesus Christ.

Lent and Christmas Liturgy

The week preceding Christmas - from December 30 to the evening of January 5 - is considered fasting. These days only products of vegetable origin are used. According to the old calendar, the Armenians celebrated the New Year on the 1st of the month of Navasard, that is, on August 11, when there was no fasting. With the adoption of the new chronology, the New Year began to be celebrated on December 31 - the day that coincides with the fast preceding Christmas. They complete the fast on January 5, on the evening of Christmas Eve, when the Christmas liturgy is served in the churches. People greet each other with the words: "Christ was born and appeared! Blessed is the appearance of Christ!"

The feast of the Nativity and Theophany is the day of the coming into the world, that is, the appearance of Jesus Christ. It begins on the evening of January 5, as the church day changes after the evening service.

First, they serve the holy liturgy of Chrakaluyets, which takes place twice a year - on the holidays of Christmas and Resurrection. "Chrakaluyts" means "burning of the lamps" (lamps), which symbolizes the light of the Bethlehem star, which showed the Magi the way to the baby Jesus. Also, during the liturgy, candles are lit, symbolizing the divine light, the blessing of the church. Therefore, people take the lamps and candles lit in the church to their homes.

Consecration of water

On the sixth of January, after the Christmas liturgy, the Blessing of Water is performed, which symbolizes the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River. Water is sanctified by the Bible, the cross and the world, after which it is distributed to those present. The next day, a liturgy of commemoration of the dead is served in the Armenian church, a memorial service is performed to soothe the souls of the deceased.

Houses are also sanctified during Christmas celebrations. However, people invite a clergyman to their home or place of work, wishing to receive God's blessing, even after Christmas and Sunday.

On January 7, as on all days immediately following the main holidays, the dead are commemorated - Merelots. After the Divine Liturgy, all churches pray for the repose of the soul, after which people visit the graves.

Christmas ceremonies continue until January 13, until the feast of the naming of the Lord.