THE CHRISTMAS DATE DILEMMA

For those who observe Christmas on January 6, particularly in the West, it can feel disheartening to see festive decorations, events, and celebrations leading up to December 25 while they patiently await their own celebration. By the time their Holy Nativity arrives, most decorations have already been taken down, and the holiday excitement has faded.

Additionally, many Armenians find themselves unsure whether to extend Christmas greetings and say “Merry Christmas” when, according to the Armenian calendar, Jesus has not yet been born. This seasonal dilemma can be quite confusing. Despite this, I know many Armenian Orthodox families who faithfully celebrate the Holy Nativity on January 6 but still gather with friends and loved ones on December 25 to partake in the broader holiday spirit.

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ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS CELEBRATED AT ST. JOHN

St. John the Baptist Armenian Church celebrated the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord (“Armenian Christmas”) on January 7, in keeping with the community’s longstanding custom of observing the holiday on the Sunday closest to January 6. In his Nativity homily, St. John’s parish priest, Rev. Fr. Guregh Hambardzumyan, spoke of the mystery of the Incarnation: Why did God become human? One answer is that through his birth in Bethlehem, Jesus, the Son of God, lowered Himself to …

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HOLY NATIVITY 2024 MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II

Today, on the feast of Holy Nativity and Epiphany, our Armenian nation, although grieving and heartbroken, but with unshaken faith, unbreakable in will and full of hope, bows down before Christ the child, who from the cave of Bethlehem shines as light and salvation to the entire world. With beautiful words of praise, the soul-stirring canticle conveys to us the wonder of the Holy Nativity. “O Birth-giver of God, tabernacle of light, you became the dawn of the Sun of righteousness and gave light to those of us who sit in darkness.”

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CHRISTMAS IN MILWAUKEE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

This season, St. John the Baptist Armenian Church observed the Christmas holiday with a month of special events stretching from early December through early January. On Saturday night, December 17, St. John hosted a concert by the Narek Bell Choir. Conducted by Rev. Fr. Hovhan Khoja-Eynatyan of St. James Armenian Church, Evanston…

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ԳԱՐԵԳԻՆ Բ ԱՄԵՆԱՅՆ ՀԱՅՈՑ ԿԱԹՈՂԻԿՈՍԻ Ս․ ԾՆՆԴԵԱՆ ՊԱՏԳԱՄԸ

Մեր Տիրոջ՝ Յիսուս Քրիստոսի Սուրբ Ծննդեան եւ Աստուածայայտնութեան տօնի հրաշազարդ այս օրը, համախմբուած մեր եկեղեցիներում, օրհնաբանում ենք նորածին Փրկչին՝ միմեանց փոխանցելով փրկաւետ ողջոյնը. «Քրիստոս ծնաւ եւ յայտնեցաւ, ձեզ եւ մեզ մեծ աւետիս»։ …

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KAREKIN VEHAPAR’S 2023 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

On this miraculous day of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ, gathered in our churches, we praise the newborn Savior, conveying the salvific good news to each other “Christ is born and revealed, to you and to us a great tiding”. The graces of the Nativity of our Lord grant the humanity a blessed life anchored in godliness, kindness, truth and justice arm souls in despair over loss and pain, with hope and optimism, bring healing and replenishment to hearts deserted from lack of kindness and love, and strengthen them to face difficulties and overcome …

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Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord

The date for Christmas was changed from January 6th to December 25th to override a pagan feast dedicated to the birth of the Sun. Since the Armenian Church was not part of the Church of Rome and it had no such Pagan holiday, it remained faithful to the traditions of their forefathers, and continued to celebrate Christmas on January 6th until today.

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