Page 100 - THE ARMENIAN CHURCH_Neat

Rich Spirituality 101

(between the 22nd of March and the 25th of
April), and those that must be celebrated on
Sunday: the Assumption (on the Sunday of
the 12th-18th of August), the Exaltation of the
Cross (on the Sunday nearest to September
14th), and the Commencement of Advent (on
the Sunday nearest to November 18th).
The five greatest feasts, which are called
the Tabernacle (taławar), are: Theophany,
Easter, Transfiguration, Assumption, and
Exaltation of the Cross. These feasts are
preceded by a week-long period of absti-
nence. The Mondays following these feasts
are observed as commemoration days of the
faithful departed (mer˙eloc‘).
Following the tradition of the early
church, the Armenian Church celebrates
Christmas on the 6th of January. In this
celebration, the birth of Christ and His bap-
tism by John the Baptist are joined together
and this feast is called Theophany (Astuaca-
yaytnut‘iwn), meaning the revelation of God.
Theophany was celebrated on the 6th of
January until the 4th Century. There were
two compelling reasons for moving Nativity
to 25 December: 1) In the West, Christians
were still observing some popular pagan
feasts, including the celebration of the "Birth
of the Unconquerable Sun" on the 25th of De-
cember. By changing the date of the Nativity,
church fathers wanted to replace the pagan
feast with the true sun of humanity, Jesus