Why do Apostolic and Evangelical Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 6?

BEIRUT: While many Christians celebrating Christmas on December 25, including Armenian Catholics, begin taking down their Christmas decorations on the “Twelfth Night” of Christmas, Armenian Apostolic and Evangelical Christians prepare themselves to celebrate the birth, baptism and manifestation of Christ on January 6.

While the current civil and Christian ecclesiastical calendar in worldwide use is the Gregorian one, various churches yet consider the Julian calendar for their religious celebrations, such as the Orthodox churches in Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and Ethiopia, and designate the 7th of January their Christmas Day.

The Armenian Apostolic and Evangelical Churches, however, are the only denominations that celebrate the birth, the baptism, and the manifestation of Christ on January 6.

According to Father Zareh Sarkissian of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Lebanon, “January 6 marks the feast of the Nativity and the Theophany of Christ.”

“During the first centuries of Christianity,” Fr. Sarkissian explained to Annahar, “the feast of Theophany (the revelation of God) was an eight-day celebration from the 6th to the 13th of January. This Feast was celebrated together with a number of observances, like the Annunciation, the Birth, the Circumcision, the Naming of the Lord, the Presentation to the Temple, the Baptism etc. The Birth and the Baptism being the most prominent (and both designating birth); INSERT INTO articles (articleId, timestamp, date, title, teaser, slug, status, primaryCategory, description, authorId, sourceId, url, lastUpdate, hasImage, contents, summary) VALUES the Church grouped them together and chose to celebrate them on the first day of this eight-day Feast.”

Fr Sarkissian added that it was only around “the second half of the fourth century” that December 25th began to be “gradually observed as the Christmas Day in many parts of the Roman Empire for several local reasons.”

“Until then,” he continued, “the Church in both the East and the West celebrated the Baptism and the Birth of Christ together. Armenia being not bound the decisions of the empire both geographically and politically, faithfully kept the tradition of the early Church and still does not feel the need to deviate from the original practice of a united celebration of nativity and theophany/epiphany.”

Fr Sarkissian explained that “since Armenians are originally and overwhelmingly Apostolic Orthodox, it is very clear why people would call January 6 the ‘Armenian Christmas’”.

As for the ceremonial celebrations, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the manifestation of God on the eve of the feast (the night of January 5) through the divine liturgy of “Jrakaluts” (lightning of the lamps); INSERT INTO articles (articleId, timestamp, date, title, teaser, slug, status, primaryCategory, description, authorId, sourceId, url, lastUpdate, hasImage, contents, summary) VALUES and it is custom for the gathered faithful to take lit candles and lamps to their houses.

In the morning of the 6th, “the divine ceremony for the mystery of the birth and baptism of our Lord is celebrated.” Following this custom is the liturgy of “Chrorhnek” (blessing of water); INSERT INTO articles (articleId, timestamp, date, title, teaser, slug, status, primaryCategory, description, authorId, sourceId, url, lastUpdate, hasImage, contents, summary) VALUES conducted as a symbolic commemoration of the holy baptism of Christ, after which the holy water is distributed to the faithful. The following day is the “merelots” (the remembrance day of the departed).

Similarly, the denomination of the Armenian Evangelical Church celebrates Christmas on January 6, but through different customs.

As Pastor Sevag Trashian of the Armenian Evangelical Emmanuel Church told Annahar, “In Lebanon, our youth groups spend the eve before Christmas (January 5) visiting homes and caroling Armenian Christmas hymns, handing out a gift to every house, which is a practice called ‘Avedoum’”

He added, “On the morning of Christmas Day, our churches hold a worship service referred to as ‘Bashdamounk’ in Armenian.”

Nevertheless, a percentage of Armenians following the Roman-Catholic Church still celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, and the Epiphany (“Asdvadzahaydnoutioun” in Armenian) on January 6.

According to Father Sebouh Garabedian of the Armenian Catholic Church in Lebanon, “January 6 is generally dubbed ‘The Armenian Christmas’ day for many, not taking into consideration the plethora of Armenians belonging to the Roman Catholic Church.”

Fr. Garabedian explained that many factors led to the coining of December 25 as the official Christmas day for the Roman Catholic Church, including “the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar”, and “the urge to provide a Christian alternative to the Pagan holiday of ‘Saturnalia’ which fell around December 25 in the Julian Calendar.”

“The Pagan holiday honored the ancient Sun-God of Saturn, and the Roman Catholic Church wanted to make a statement that the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is what should be celebrated, because he is the light of our world,” Garabedian said.

As for the ceremonial practices of the Armenian Catholic Church on January 6, which is regarded as the day of the Epiphany and the baptism of Jesus Christ, a divine liturgy is performed, and water is blessed and distributed to the gatherers as a symbolic remembrance of the ecclesiastical meaning behind the date.

As for the giving of presents, Fr. Sarkissian explained that for the Armenians celebrating Christmas on January 6, the visit of “Gaghant Baba” (New Year’s Father) traditionally takes place on New Year’s Eve, because Christmas (January 6) is “thought of as more of a religious and divine holiday; Jesus Christ himself becoming the core and focus of this great holiday.”

As they say in Armenia, Shenorhavor Amanor yev Surb Tznund! (Merry Christmas and Congratulations for the Holy Birth)