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Panorama, Armenia
Jan 6 2012
«Christ is Born and Revealed! Blessed is the Revelation of Christ.»
On January 6, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of
the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the
commemoration of the Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ. God was
incarnated and appeared to the people.
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual commemoration of the birth of
Jesus Christ, celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious and
cultural holiday by billions of people around the world. In the
early-to-mid 4th century, Western Christianity first placed Christmas
on December 25, a date later adopted also in the East. The original
date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6, in
connection with Epiphany, and that is still the date of the
celebration for the Armenian Apostolic Church and in Armenia. There is
a difference of 13 days between the modern Gregorian calendar and the
older Julian calendar.
Those who continue to use the Julian calendar or its equivalents thus
celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority of the
world is January 7 and January 19. For this reason, Ethiopia, Russia,
Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Republic of
Moldova celebrate Christmas on what in the Gregorian calendar is
January 7; all the Greek Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on
December 25.
During the Baptism of Jesus God the Father said, `This is my Son, whom
I love; with him I am well pleased' (Mt 3:17) and the Holy Spirit
descended on Christ in the form of dove, so God appeared to the people
for the second time. So, both Theophanies revealed by means of the
Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ are celebrated in the Armenian
Church jointly on January 6. The feast starts on the eve, in the
evening of January 5, and is continued after the midnight. On the eve
a solemn Candlelight Divine Liturgy is celebrated and on January 6 a
solemn Divine Liturgy is celebrated.
The Birth of Jesus happened in this way. `In those days Caesar
Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire
Roman world. ... And everyone went to his own town to register. So
Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to
Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line
of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be
married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the
time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her
firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.' (Lk 2:1-7) The
Son of God was born in poverty, in a manger. The witnesses of His
Birth were the shepherds living out in the fields nearby, whom the
angels had appeared and brought the good news of the Birth of the
Savior singing: `Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to
men on whom his favor rests.' (Lk 2:18)
Source: Panorama.am
Jan 6 2012
«Christ is Born and Revealed! Blessed is the Revelation of Christ.»
On January 6, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of
the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the
commemoration of the Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ. God was
incarnated and appeared to the people.
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual commemoration of the birth of
Jesus Christ, celebrated generally on December 25 as a religious and
cultural holiday by billions of people around the world. In the
early-to-mid 4th century, Western Christianity first placed Christmas
on December 25, a date later adopted also in the East. The original
date of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6, in
connection with Epiphany, and that is still the date of the
celebration for the Armenian Apostolic Church and in Armenia. There is
a difference of 13 days between the modern Gregorian calendar and the
older Julian calendar.
Those who continue to use the Julian calendar or its equivalents thus
celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority of the
world is January 7 and January 19. For this reason, Ethiopia, Russia,
Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Republic of
Moldova celebrate Christmas on what in the Gregorian calendar is
January 7; all the Greek Orthodox Churches celebrate Christmas on
December 25.
During the Baptism of Jesus God the Father said, `This is my Son, whom
I love; with him I am well pleased' (Mt 3:17) and the Holy Spirit
descended on Christ in the form of dove, so God appeared to the people
for the second time. So, both Theophanies revealed by means of the
Birth and Baptism of Jesus Christ are celebrated in the Armenian
Church jointly on January 6. The feast starts on the eve, in the
evening of January 5, and is continued after the midnight. On the eve
a solemn Candlelight Divine Liturgy is celebrated and on January 6 a
solemn Divine Liturgy is celebrated.
The Birth of Jesus happened in this way. `In those days Caesar
Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire
Roman world. ... And everyone went to his own town to register. So
Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to
Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line
of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be
married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the
time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her
firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.' (Lk 2:1-7) The
Son of God was born in poverty, in a manger. The witnesses of His
Birth were the shepherds living out in the fields nearby, whom the
angels had appeared and brought the good news of the Birth of the
Savior singing: `Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to
men on whom his favor rests.' (Lk 2:18)
Source: Panorama.am