When do Armenians celebrate Christmas?
We start the night of the 5th through the 6th.
How does the celebration begin on the evening of the 5th?
Most of the people go to the church that is closest to them. Some people go to Etchmiadzin, which is our national church’s mother church, like our very own Vatican. The lines to some churches are so long, maybe the church is significant to a person or a family, so some of the churches you will see have very long lines just to get a candle to take to their homes. This is really a big tradition, with big significance.
Now, they give in these little red containers, but there was a time when they gave you just a candle, and you could see people in the street trying to keep it going, cherishing it, or taking a container trying to save the candle the whole way home to keep it from going out.
People take that fire to their homes, believing that this is Jesus, the light of Jesus. But for me as a believer, a disciple of Christ, it has changed a lot, the value. Because I have the light in my heart and in my life already, and I don’t need to carry the light from the church to bring the light of Jesus to my house. But it really has huge symbolism. It is a beautiful tradition, when you go to the street and see people taking the light to their house.
What kind of foods are served?
On the 5th of January, all families come together and have dinner. The table has rice with raisins, fish, and wine, which signifies the blood of Jesus. Everybody has the same meal. The rice represents people, and the raisins are the disciples of Jesus. The raisins’ task is to disciple the rice, to go and teach them about the Lord. The fish is a traditional symbol of Christianity, and the wine represents the blood of Jesus. A special bread is also baked, representing the crown of thorns.
-interview by Jonathan Daugherty, Eurasia North Field Communications Coordinator
