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Iran's Armenian Christians celebrate New Year with fireworks, prayer

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  • Iran's Armenian Christians celebrate New Year with fireworks, prayer

    Iran's minority Armenian Christians celebrate New Year with fireworks,
    prayers

    The Associated Press
    January 1, 2008


    ISFAHAN, Iran: Iran's minority Christians celebrated the New Year on
    Tuesday by converging on churches at midday to light candles and pray
    for a prosperous year, hours after ushering in 2008 with colorful
    midnight fireworks.

    In the historic central city of Isfahan, members of Iran's Armenian
    Christian community ' which numbers 100,000 among Iran's 70 million
    strong population ' gathered at Vank Church to attended a service led
    by archbishop Babken Charian.

    Earlier, at midnight Monday, they had also gathered outside the same
    church to set off fireworks within the church compound.

    Armenian Christians ' who in Iran are predominantly Gregorian, a branch
    of the Christian Orthodox ' "usually hold church meetings on the first
    day of January in Iran to celebrate the New Year and pray for
    prosperity, justice and peace throughout the world," church official
    Yerevan Hosepian said.

    Families happily snapped group photos next to well-decorated Christmas
    trees and a statute of Santa Claus set up in Vank's large compound.

    Many embraced each other and exchanged kisses. Women appeared without
    the traditional headscarves, while young men and women mingled freely,
    holding hands.

    Iran's Islamic laws require women to wear the headscarf in public and
    ban any physical contacts between men and women who are not relatives,
    but the country's religious minorities are free to take off the veil
    and mix inside their own clubs and churches.

    Despite their small numbers and the country's hard-line Islamic
    government, Christians are free to practice their religion, including
    celebrating Christmas and New Year's. However, Christian communities
    are prohibited from having their priests and bishops appear in public
    in Tehran to preach Christianity.

    Inside the Isfahan church, archbishop Charian held Mass and recited
    from the Bible. He ended the service offering every member of his
    community a piece of bread dipped in wine ' the Armenian Christians'
    holy communion.

    A crowd of more than 500 showed up at Vank Church, fully decorated with
    oil paintings and elaborate engravings in Persian, Armenian and
    European style. The paintings depicted themes from both the Old and New
    Testament.

    "Today's celebration speaks more than words to prove that we freely
    practice our religion," said Aspit Simon, one of the worshippers
    attending the service at Vank.

    In Isfahan alone, there are 13 Armenian Christian churches.

    Apart from Armenians, which comprise most of Iran's Christians, there
    is also a sprinkling of Protestants, Assyrians, Catholics and other
    Orthodox denominations. Five seats out of 290 in the Majlis, or
    parliament, go to recognized religious minorities, including
    Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews.

    Over the past week, Christians were out in large numbers, buying
    Christmas trees and decorations for the holidays. Iran Armenian
    Christians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6, which they consider the
    correct date of Jesus' birth.

    Around the world, Christmas Day is predominantly celebrated on Dec. 25,
    with Christmas Eve falling on Dec. 24, according to the modern,
    Gregorian calendar implemented by a Catholic Pope. The majority of
    Eastern Orthodox churches, however, celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7,
    according to the old, Julian Calendar.
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