TEARNANDARACH’S PEOPLE’S RITUAL PRESENTED AT SURB KATOGHIKE’S YARD ON
THAT DAY

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. On the initiative of Armenian
Apostolic church’s Ararat Patriarchal Diocese, on February 14, after
the festive liturgy in connection with Tearnandarach, holiday of
offering fourty-day Saviour to Jerusalem temple, the Sassoun ensemble
of ethnographic song and dance presented the holiday’s people’s ritual
in the Surb Katoghike church yard. Before the festive performance,
leader of Ararat Patriarchal Diocese, Navasard Archbishop Kchoyan
conducted custom consecration of young people and newly-weds in Surb
Katoghike church, after which they went to the church yard where
soloists of Sassoun ensemble presented the staged rite of seeing a
bride with ethnographic song and dance of Sassoun. In the words of
ensemble’s Art Director, deacon Andranik, the holiday’s national
meaning is closely connected with the symbol of love and family, as
well as nature’s fertility. All holidays of Armenian Apostolic church,
including Tearnandarach, symbolize belief, love, purity and sincerety.
"This speaks about the basis and symbol of Christianity, which our
Saviour preached to the mankind before his crucifixion and after it,"
deacon Andranik is convinced. In deacon Andranik’s words, almost all
Armenian church holidays have their people’s reflection and this
holiday is not an exception, too. "The custom of jumping over the fire
especially regards newly-weds as making a new family they should have a
child. And fire is Christ’s light, which is the symbol of new life," he
said. Besides, ashes remaining from fire are also a symbol of fertility
and profusion. After the ritual they gather the ashes and spread them
over fields and gardens expecting fertility from God. At the end of the
festive concert the Holy Father made a festive bonfire from fire taken
out from church, and newly-weds and other married couples who had
gathered around the bonfire jumped over it. Festive delicacies –
sweets, gatas and candies were given out to participants of the
holiday.