7:00PM - Reading of the Holy Scriptures; 7:30PM -Christmas Eve Badarak. 9:00PM - Fellowship hour. As according to the Church the day is changed at 17:00 p.m., after the evening service, the feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ starts on the eve, in the evening of January 5, and is continued after the midnight, on January 6. During the first centuries of Christianity, the night before every feast, a vigil was kept. In the evening the faithful assembled in the place or church where the feast was to be celebrated and prepared themselves by saying prayers, chanting Psalms and reading Holy Scripture. As more feasts were added to the liturgical calendar, the number of vigils was greatly reduced and today these vigils are only kept on dominical feasts. In addition, incorporated into the vigil on the eves of major feasts the church celebrated the "Jrakalooyts" . During Vespers , candles were lit throughout the whole church as the ancient hymn "O Gladdening Light" was chanted. This practice of "Jrakalooyts" is now reserved only to the eves of Nativity and Easter, and has been extended to distributing candles to all the faithful who, in earlier times, presumably carried them in procession around the church during the great processional of the Divine Liturgy. The idea of this procession, now relegated to the celebrant, deacons and servers, is sometimes thought to symbolize the Light of the Divine Manifestation circumcising the hearts of the faithful reflection of the Jewish circumcision within the context of purification in this case, the purification of the hearts of the faithful. The concept of Jrakalooyts is recorded from about the year 350 A.D. as a local custom in Jerusalem, and later in 542 A.D. the Emperor Justinian instituted it in Constantinople. The Armenians, quite populous in the city of Jerusalem, probably contributed to its inception. Today, during the evening services of Christmas in the Armenian Church, and on into the Divine Liturgy of that night, the churches are brightly lit with candles and vigil lights, celebrating the great "Light of the Manifestation". Candles are distributed to the faithful who hold them in awe of this great happening. It was, and is still a tradition for the faithful to carry these lighted candles home and to keep them lit during the celebration of the birth and baptism of our Lord. During the Eve of Theophany, the Old Testament readings from Genesis, Exodus and the Prophets are read prior to the proclamation of the Lord's birth and manifestation during the Divine Liturgy. The entire day preceding the Feasts of the Nativity and Easter is known as Jrakalooyts} And into the night the Church reads the Gospel of the Nativity according to St. Luke Bible Readings : Titus 2:11 15, Matthew 2:1 12  

Morning Service -9:30 AM; Badarak-10:30AM. ԱՍՏՈՒԱԾԱՅԱՅՏՆՈՒԹԻՒՆ կը կոչուի Քրիստոսի Ծննդեան եւ մկրտութեան յիշատակի տօնը։ Ինք ունի ութօրէքը իբր մեծ տօն եւ Ճրագալոյցի օրն ալ իբր նախապատրաստական օր։ Առաջին դարէն սկսեալ կը տօնուի միշտ Յունուար 6ին։ Աստուած մարդացաւ եւ յայտնուեցաւ մարդկանց: Քրիստոսի մկրտութեան ժամանակ Հայր Աստուած վկայեց. «Դա է իմ սիրելի Որդին, որուն ունիմ ամբողջ բարեհաճութիւնս» (Մատթ. 3:17, Մարկ. 1:11, Ղուկ. 3:22) եւ Սուրբ հոգին աղաւնակերպ իջաւ Քրիստոսի վրայ: Այսպիսով, Քրիստոսի ծննդեան եւ մկրտութեան միջոցով կատարուեցաւ Աստուածայայտնութիւնը։ Իսկ 4րդ դարուն, յոյն եկեղեցին զատեց Ծնունդը Յունուար 6էն եւ զայն Դեկտեմբեր 25ին դրին թողելով Յունուար 6ին Քրիստոսի Յայտնութիւնն ու Մկրտութիւնը։ Հայերը հակառակ յոյներուն եւ լատիններուն ջանքերուն, որ այս նոր բաժանումը պարտադրիչ ընեն՝ չընդունեցին եւ հաւատարիմ մնացին հին առաքելական եկեղեցւոյ աւանդութեանց։ Յունուար 6-ին առաւօտեան, կը մատուցուի Սբ. Պատարագ, եւ իր աւարտելէն առաջ կը կատարուի Ջրօրհնէք` Յիսուսի մկրտութեան յիշատակը: Պատարագիչ հոգեւորականը սուրբ Միւռոնը կը կաթեցնէ ջուրին մեջ եւ խաչով կ՝օրհնէ զայն: Աւանդութեան համաձայն, հաւատացեալները այդ օրհնուած ջուրէն բաժին մը տուն կը տանին, որպէս բուժիչ դեղ: Այնուհետեւ քահանան կ՝այցելէ իր ծխականներուն տուները` աւետելու Յիսուս Քրիստոսի ծնունդը տնօրհնէքի արարողութեամբ: Nativity and Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ The Armenian Church celebrates Christmas on the sixth of January, as was the practice of the entire Christian church in first three centuries. It was in the fourth century that the Western Church changed the date for observ- ing Christmas to the twenty-fifth of December but the Armenian church was firm in keeping to the original date. Armenians commemorate Christmas and Epiphany on the same day. The Epiphany, the baptism of our Lord in the River Jordan by Saint John the Baptist, is celebrated with Christmas because it was then disclosed that Jesus was the Son of God. The Father said from heaven, “ ‘He is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, listen to Him’, and the Holy Ghost descended on Jesus in he form of a dove.” Thus, the Holy Trinity was manifested at the Baptism of Jesus Christ. In Bethlehem, the Armenians celebrate Christmas in the church of the Nativity, in the Grotto, where Jesus was born and the Angelic Good News “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, to men of good will” is sung at a midnight service. After the High Mass the water is blessed in memory of the Baptism of our Lord by putting Holy Oil (Chrism) and a cross in the water. As everyone drinks of this blessed water the Choir sings the Armenian Christmas Carol, “ O great and wondrous mystery which was revealed on this day...” “ O great and wondrous mystery which was revealed on this day, the shepherds sing with angels and give good news to the world” The Blessing of the Water After the Divine Liturgy on January 6, The Blessing of the Water, takes place as a symbolic commemoration of the "Baptism of Christ". In the Armenian Church, the service iscalled CHURORHNEK. The Blessing of the Water celebration was originally performed in the Holy Land, at the river Jordan on Theophany, January 6. As the word spread of the beautiful ceremony in the Holy Land, churches outside of Jerusalem began to perform this ceremony by the riverside or at the seashore. Later, because of subsequent Islamic prohibitions under the Ottoman Turkish Empire, this and other public outdoor rituals were henceforth accomplished within the confines of the churches. The Ritual of The Blessing of the Water A large silver basin containing water is placed on the table in the sanctuary in front of the Altar. The priest, signifying Christ's entry into the river Jordan, immerses a cross in the water. A silver dove-shaped chrism or "Muron" container is brought up in procession as the choir sings the Hymn Looys ee Looso , Next the water is blessed, and the dove is raised up by the celebrant who takes it to the basin of water and dispenses a few drops of the holy oil into the water through the mouth of the dove. We know from biblical accounts that God revealed Himself as a Triune God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit, at the time of Jesus' baptism by John. The voice of God the Father was heard saying: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased", and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove. Muron is kept in a dove-shaped container symbolic of the Holy Spirit who dispenses the graces that are given to those who are anointed and who receive it through the blessed water at Theophany. THE ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS "Armenian Christmas," as it is popularly called, is a culmination of celebrations of events related to Christ's Incarnation. Theophany or Epiphany (or Astvadz-a-haytnootyoon in Armenian) means "revelation of God," which is the central theme of the Christmas Season in the Armenian Church. The major events that are celebrated during the Armenian Christmas season are the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem and His Baptism in the River Jordan. The day of this major feast in the Armenian Church is January 6th. At the end of the solemn Christmas Divine Liturgy, a ceremony called "Blessing of Water" is held in the Church to commemorate Christ's Baptism. It is frequently asked as to why Armenians do not celebrate Christmas on December 25th with the rest of the world. Obviously, the exact date of Christ's birth has not been historically established - it is neither recorded in the Gospels. However, historically, all Christian churches celebrated Christ's birth on January 6th until the fourth century. According to Roman Catholic sources, the date was changed from January 6th to December 25th in order to override a pagan feast dedicated to the birth of the Sun, which was celebrated on December 25th. At the time Christians used to continue their observance of these pagan festivities. In order to undermine this pagan practice, the church hierarchy designated December 25th as the official date of Christmas and January 6th as the feast of Epiphany. However, Armenia was not affected by this change for the […]