THE GROUPINGS OF THE FEASTS AND FASTS IN THE ARMENIAN CHURCH
By virtue of their nature the feasts and their observance in the Armenian Church are grouped into three categories:
(A) Dominical Feasts: to commemorate the life and the ordinances of Jesus Christ, and to venerate the memory of the Mother-of-God St. Mary.
(B) Saints Days: to commemorate the lives of the Biblical and historical saints. The latter have reached the level of sainthood by canonization.
(C) Fasting Days: to repent and pray for our own souls and for those departed in Christ.
(A) DOMINICAL FEASTS
- Pertaining to Jesus Christ:
i. Epiphany:
1. Nativity
2. Naming
3. Presentation
4. Baptism
ii. Transfiguration (Vartavar)
iii. All Sundays of the year
iv. Raising of Lazarus (Saturday before palm Sunday)
v. Palm Sunday
vi. Resurrection:
1. Holy Week
2. EASTER
3. Ascension
4. Second Palm Sunday
5. Pentecost
- Dedicated to the Mother-of-God, Virgin Mary
i. Birth
ii. Presentation
iii. Annunciation
iv. Assumption
v. Discovery of belt and box
- Dominical Commemorations:
i. Feasts of Cross:
1. Discovery
2. Apparition
3. Exaltation
4. Cross of Varak
- Feasts dedicated to the establishment of the Church
i. New Sunday
ii. World Church Sunday
iii. Four days during the Exaltation week
iv. Holy Etchmiadzin
v. Shoghagat
(B) SAINTS DAYS
In the Armenian Church saints are observed on weekdays:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Sundays are
dominical days and are dedicated to the Resurrection.
Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days.
Eighty-nine saints are derived from the Bible and are known
as Biblical Saints. The rest are from the first five centuries of
Christianity. They represent the Apostolic Fathers of the
second century and the church Fathers of the three
ecumenical councils to the end of the fifth century.
The Armenian Church later added more saints through the
fifth and fourteenth centuries mainly from Fathers of the
Armenian Church.
(C) FASTING DAYS
1. All Wednesdays and Fridays, except for those during the fifty days following Easter.
2. Weekdays preceding major feasts as follows:
a. Nativity (6 days)
b. Easter (Holy Week, 6 days)
c. Transfiguration (5 days)
d. Assumption (5 days)
e. Exaltation (5 days)
3. Great Lent (48 days including Palm Sunday and Holy Week)
4. Fast of Catechumens (5 days)
5. Fast of Elijah (5 days, seasonal: before Summer)
6. Fast of St. Gregory (5 days)
7. Fast of the Cross of Varak (5 days, seasonal: before Fall)
8. Fast of Advent (5 days)
9. Fast of St. James of Nisibis (5 days, seasonal, before Winter)
Literature Bibliography
1. Tonats'oyts' (Calendar of Feasts of the Armenian Church), 2 vols. Jerusalem, 1915 (in Armenian).
2. Ormanian, Malachia Patriarch, Dzisakan Barraran (Dictionary Antelias, 1957, pp. 7–65 (in Armenian).
3. Koushagian, Torkom Patriarch, Sourbk; ew Tonk' (Saints and Feasts of the Armenian Church), Jerusalem, 1957. (in Armenian).
4. Kaloustian, Shnorhk Patriarch, Asdvatsashnchakan Sourber (Biblical Saints) Istanbul, 1977 (in Armenian).
5. Nersoyan, Tiran Archbishop, Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, New York, 1950, pp. 212-229.
6. Cross, F. L. (ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, London, 1961.
7. Boyajian, Dickran H., The Pillars of the Armenian Church, Watertown, 1962.
