Traditional Christmas

[MosJan]

Sticking with the traditional Christmas

An Armenian church in Costa Mesa hosts about 700 people Sunday to commemorate Jesus' birth on the day that everyone once marked.

 

 

By Bryce Alderton

COSTA MESA -- They came from near and far to celebrate the Armenian Christmas here Sunday.

 

Church officials at St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Costa Mesa estimated about 700 worshipers packed into the church to celebrate the Epiphany, meaning "revelation of God," the central theme of the Christmas season in the Armenian Church.

 

Major events celebrated are the Nativity of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem and the Blessing of the Waters celebrating the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, thereby beginning Christ's missionary work in the world to serve people, said Vahran Biricik, the church's Parish Council chairman. St. Mary's worship is Gregorian, with the traditional role of the priest as intercessor, the deacon offering the litany and the choir and congregation chanting responsively.

 

Armenians have celebrated Christmas on Jan. 6 for more than 1,700 years.

 

All Christian churches celebrated Christ's birth on Jan. 6 until the fourth century, when the Roman Catholic Church changed the date from Jan. 6 to Dec. 25 to override a pagan feast dedicated to the birth of the Sun, which was celebrated on Dec. 25, according to Roman Catholic sources.

 

Armenia was not affected by the change because it was not a satellite of the Roman Catholic Church and because there were no pagan practices in Armenia.

 

Sunday provided a chance to worship in the morning and then head off to friends' or families' houses to eat, exchange gifts or simply to have a good time.

 

Churchgoers greeted each other with handshakes, hugs and wishes of "Merry Christmas" as they exited after the two-hour service.

 

Huntington Beach resident Angea Barela smiled as she held hands with neighbor Anna Yogurtian as the two exited the church. It was Barela's first time attending a service at the church and she couldn't be happier.

 

"The music, the people were almost the same as in a Catholic church," Barela said. "I feel something deep when I hear the music, I enjoyed it very much."

 

With words of compassion, caring and love, Father Moushegh Tashjian reminded the congregation of the significance of the day, the freedoms they enjoy in the United States and of America's resolve in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

 

"The terrorists did not achieve their goal because they found something unexpected -- resolve, determination, heroism at its bravest and charity at its most generous kind," Tashjian said. "Today is a story of compassion, caring and of intense love showing you are loved."

 

The Eyvazian family drives from Carlsbad as often as they can to attend Sunday services at St. Mary's and were there again Sunday.

 

"This is a great day, we're going to party now," said Greg Eyvazian, just as they family prepared to return to Carlsbad to celebrate with seven other families.

 

* Bryce Alderton is the news assistant. He may be reached at (949) 574-4298 or by e-mail at bryce.alderton@latimes.com .

 

For information about reprinting this article, go to http://www.lats.com/rights

[Anshnork]

I was always kind of confused about this: On January 6th do we celebrate BOTH the birth AND the baptism of Christ? Do we claim that Jesus was baptized on his birthday 30 years later?

[MJ]

One potential answer may be that when Jesus was born, he was not Christ at the time. He has been born again, and become Christ after being baptized.

 

P.S. Therefore, it is quite possible that the celebration of Christmas just amplifies the birth of Christ through baptism. Btw, this interpretation is consistent with the beliefs of the Paulicians.

 

[ January 13, 2002: Message edited by: MJ ]

[Boghos]

This is a very good question, and one that to my knowledge does not yet have a very good answer. The debates surrounding this issue involve not only theological interpretations but also calendar issues.

 

The Catholic Encyclopedia for example mentions: "an unknown Syrian annotator of Barsalibi (Assemani, Bibl. Orient., II, 163) boldly writes: "The Lord was born in the month of January on the same day on which we celebrate the Epiphany; for of old the feasts of the Nativity and Epiphany were kept on one and the same day, because on the same day He was born and baptized. "

 

and also:

 

"Owing no doubt to the vagueness of the name Epiphany, very different manifestations of Christ's glory and Divinity were celebrated in this feast quite early in its history, especially the Baptism, the miracle at Cana, the Nativity, and the visit of the Magi. But we cannot for a moment suppose that in the first instance a festival of manifestations in general was established, into which popular local devotion read specified meaning as circumstances dictated. It seems fairly clear hat the Baptism was the event predominantly commemorated. The Apostolic Constitutions (VIII, xxxiii; cf. V, xii) mention it. Kellner quotes (cf. Selden, de Synedriis, III, xv, 204, 220) the oldest Coptic Calendar for the name Dies baptismi sanctificati, and the later for that of Immersio Domini as applied to this feast. Gregory of Nazianzus identifies, indeed, ta theophania with he hagia tou Christou gennesis, but this sermon (Orat. xxxviii in P.G., XXXVI. 312) was probably preached 25 Dec., 380; and after referring to Christ's Birth, he assures his hearers (P.G., 329) that they shall shortly see Christ baptized. On 6 and 7 Jan., he preached orations xxxix and xl (P.G., loc. cit.) and there declared (col. 349) that the Birth of Christ and the leading of the Magi by a star having been already celebrated, the commemoration of His Baptism would now take place. The first of these two sermons is headed eis ta hagia phota, referring to the lights carried on that day to symbolize the spiritual illumination of baptism, and the day must carefully be distinguished from the Feast of the Purification, also called Festum luminum for a wholly different reason. Chrysostom, however, in 386 (see CHRISTMAS) preached "Hom. vi in B: Philogonium" where (P.G., XLVIII, 752) he calls the Nativity the parent of festivals, for, had not Christ been born, neither would He have been baptized, hoper esti ta theophania. This shows how loosely this title was used. (Cf. Chrys., "Hom. in Bapt. Chr.", c. ii, in P.G., XLIX, 363; A.D. 387). Cassian (Coll., X, 2, in P.L., XLIX; 820) says that even in his time (418-427) the Egyptian monasteries still celebrated the Nativity and Baptism on 6 January. "

 

[ January 13, 2002: Message edited by: Boghos ]