On Sunday, May 21 following the Divine Liturgy St. Stepanos Church celebrated Ascension Day. This holiday we celebrate on the 40th day after Easter. The Book of Acts tells us that after His Resurrection, Christ stays on earth for 40 days and appears to the apostles and believers. During that time, our Lord preached to them the Heavenly Kingdom. At His last meeting with them, Jesus blessed and told His Apostles that will return to them soon, after which He ascended to Heaven.

This Holiday usually falls at the end of Spring work in Armenian villages, so it was traditionally to celebrate not only the Ascension of our Lord but also mother nature and the spring bloom.
Since 2016 our church family began to celebrate Hambartzoom in our church on the following Sunday after the feast of the Ascension of our Lord with music, singing, and fortune-telling custom.

This year was no different. The parents of the Armenian/ Sunday school prepared homemade delicacies as well as traditional Armenian Gata and Baklava. Mrs.Varduhi Brutyan and Mrs. Anna Yuzgaeva helped a lot with the food donations and with the organization of the event. Together we watched videos to learn how this holiday was celebrated in Armenia. We sang songs and together we danced “ Shoorjpar”.
Mrs. Venera Mkhitaryan led the dances and helped our little girls to learn Armenian folklore dances.

Traditionally to our nation, young girls would collect water from seven springs around the village and decorate pails with flowers into which they would drop small, personal trinkets, called Vijags.
Adopting this custom, the Kevork and Sirvart Hovnanian Reception Hall was decorated with flowers. All the women who attended received a small wreath of flowers with which they adorned themselves. There also was a pot of water with flowers into which both children and adults dropped small possessions of theirs – rings, earrings, keys, chains, coins, etc.
Mrs. Lilit Vardanyan and Mrs. Armine Hovannesyan were the designated “Vijag girls”. The little girl Lily Harutyunyan pulled these trinkets one by one and those who got their Vijags had their fortunes read. Mrs. Armine helped with fortune readings from the collection of traditional Hambartzum Vijakahan. Everyone enjoyed the fortune readings and the event dedicated to the feast of Hambartzum.
It is common for our young people to take an active part in this tradition, and this year was no exception.
We thank the Sunday/Armenian School for this wonderful day.