Associated Press Worldstream
January 6, 2005 Thursday 11:01 AM Eastern Time
Head of Armenian church leads nation in Christmas worship
YEREVAN, Armenia
Armenians lit candles and attended services to mark their Christmas
holiday Thursday as the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church urged
believers to resist violence, terrorism and the threat of war.
Catholicos Karekin II led Christmas services at the Echmiadzin
Cathedral outside the capital, Yerevan. President Robert Kocharian
and other top government officials attended.
Karekin told worshippers “to banish hate from the heart” and “to
resist violence and terrorism and the threat of war.”
Later Thursday, after the Christmas liturgy, priests were to conduct
a rite known as the Blessing of the Water, which symbolizes the
baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan.
“Only the Armenian Church has maintained the ancient tradition of
celebrating the birth of Christ and the Epiphany on one day,” a
statement from the church said.
The Armenian Church celebrates Christmas on Jan. 6, the date
originally used by all Christians. In the fourth century, Christians
in the Roman Empire began celebrating on Dec. 25 to override a pagan
winter solstice festival on the same day, but the Armenian church
left Christmas where it was.
Four years ago, Armenia celebrated its 1,700th anniversary as a
Christian country. In 301, it became the first state to make
Christianity the official religion.
Worldwide there are about 10 million Armenians. Slightly fewer than
half live in Armenia itself.