Religion

The 68th Annual Name Day celebration of the St. James Armenian Apostolic Church of Los Angeles was held on Sunday, December 13. It was sponsored by the pastor and parish council of the church and was headed by Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. It was an exciting day bringing families, friends and parishioners together to enjoy the celebration of Divine Liturgy with the blessings and consecration of the khachkars (stone crosses) were later followed by a gala lunch and cultural program in the church’s Gogian Hall. The day’s observance began with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and deliverance of a bilingual sermon by Archbishop Derderian. The Primate also remembered the deceased members of the church with a requiem service.

Following the liturgy, the congregation, led by Archbishop Derderian, went in a solemn procession to the site of the khachkars which were placed in the four corners of the church courtyard. Then, the Primate conducted the ritual ceremonies of the consecration of the khachkars by anointing each one of the stone crosses with Holy Muron with the prayers from the clergy. The Primate continued on to bless the newly renovated nursery room, which was made possible through the benefaction of Sub-Deacon Dr. and Mrs. Raffi Barsam, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Barsam.

After the ritual ceremonies, the participating faithful were invited to the church’s Gogian Hall and were warmly welcomed by George Mardikian, who served as Master of Ceremonies.

Read the full article at Asbarez.com

The traditional date of Jan. 6 is still observed by many Southern California Armenians, who find it more meaningful and spiritual -- and less commercial -- than the Dec. 25 celebration.

Marine Abrahamyan-Abdasho rehearses with the choir at St. Peter Armenian Church, where Christmas Masses will be celebrated Tuesday and Wednesday. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times / December 30, 2009)

Never mind the stripped Christmas trees cast out along the driveways or the holiday house lights that stopped shimmering over the weekend. According to Richard Dekmejian's Armenian calendar, Christmas is now two days away.

The choir director at St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale must tune his singers' voices one last time. His wife must prepare a feast for the family. And when Jan. 6 arrives, he will proclaim to those he knows:

"Kristos dzunav yev haydnetsav!" "Christ is born and revealed among us!"

On a date that comes later (or, some might argue, much earlier), than traditional Western Christmas, Armenians across Southern California will gather Wednesday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and his baptism in the Jordan River. Many will flock to Orthodox Christian churches to participate in a solemn, centuries-old service in which people drink holy water believed to contain some of the same oil used to baptize Jesus. Then they will gather, generally without gifts, to dine and rejoice in their homes.

The celebration, known to some as Theophany or simply Armenian Christmas, follows the original Julian calendar as opposed to the standard Western or Gregorian calendar. When Christians began to celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 as dictated by the Romans, Armenians held to the original Jan. 6 date.

It is not to be confused with El Dia de los Reyes or Three Kings Day, which is celebrated by many Spanish-speaking Catholics on Jan. 6 and marks the adoration of the Christ child by the kings, or Magi.

For Armenians living in America, the dual holidays add more cheer to an already-packed season.

"We double-dip," Dekmejian said. "It's an extended Christmas period from the 24th until the sixth."

For those who emigrated from formerly Soviet-ruled Armenia, where religious events were banned, Christmas may be a relatively new concept. For many, the holidays typically revolved around New Year's, when gifts were exchanged and relatives filled the streets visiting one another's homes.

In America, some families have adapted to new customs, gathering for dinner on Dec. 25 or, in some cases, adding the all-American staple, turkey, to a traditional Armenian menu of fish and rice with raisins and nuts.

"Some in the new generation, they want more American Christmas now," said Robert, an Armenian father of two from Glendale who declined to give his last name. "Armenian Christmas, it doesn't mean so much."

But for many who observe their native country's Christmas, the Jan. 6 date carries a deeper meaning. Without gifts, malls or Santa Claus, Suzie Shatarevyan, 30, of Van Nuys said, her family is able to focus more meaningfully on family and church.

"It's a real Christmas," she said, "none of that commercial stuff."

At Armenian churches across Glendale and the San Fernando Valley, the tradition was alive and well in recent days as priests prepared parishes for hundreds of visitors, each seeking a few ounces of holy water to carry home. In Montebello, where Armenians once lived in great numbers, Father Ashod Kambourian readied his church to host a community dinner for about 600 guests.

"In old days, the priests would visit the homes and bless them," he said. "It's good news. It's happy days."

At St. Peter Armenian Church, Father Vazken Movsesian said he hoped to take all the extended good cheer and put it toward charity. The church's volunteers doubled their year-round outreach efforts in December, delivering toys to local children and sweaters to nearby hospitals.

Jan. 6 "is nothing more than a date," he said. "We want people to let love be born in their heart every day."

Source: Latimes.com

The restoration works of Armenian St. Gevorg of Mughni church in Tbilisi launched today, after fierce international pressure from Students and the Armenian community. According to Georgian National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation, the board of experts already examined the church’s dome state. It was decided to start restoration works immediately.

The domed St. Gevorg of Mughni Church in Tbilisi (built 1356) collapsed Nov. 19 in the Old Tbilisi part of the city.  Armenians accused Georgian authorities and the Orthodox Church of neglect of historical monuments. However, these accusations were not unsubstantiated taking into account Georgia’s repeated scornful attitude towards Armenian monuments and cultural heritage.