Saturday, December 26, 2009 8:39:00 AM

For three families in the city, Christmas falls on January 6

Vaishalli Chandra / DNA

Michael Stephen will be visiting St Mary’s Armenian Church in Chennai
on January 6, where he will decorate the altar with flowers, light
candles and ring the bell to commemorate the birth of the King, Jesus
Christ.

The Stephens, living on the HAL Airport Road, will not be the only
ones in the city to celebrate Christmas on January 6. With them will
be two more families, the Minases and Eknayans. They are the three
Armenian families settled in Bangalore.

The Armenian Orthodox Church still reckons its year by the Julian
Calendar and celebrates the birth of Christ on January 6 (also known
as Old Christmas).

Though they are set to celebrate Christmas next month, the three
families here were very much part of the festivities happening around
them. Here in the city, these families celebrate Christmas twice. So
do their friends and neighbours.

`We are celebrating Christmas today, but the actual celebration will
be on January 6, the day it is Christmas for us,’ said Paul Minas, a
third generation Armenian in the city. Apart from the difference in
dates, the festivities are the same. Minas will hold a special service
at his home in Banaswadi on January 6. His Christian friends will also
attend the service.

On Friday, Minas also joined the celebrations. `It is Christmas, and
we celebrated with our Roman Catholic and Protestant friends,’ he
said, adding that for them it is a double celebration as they exchange
gifts on December 25 as well as on January 6.

For Maureen Eknayan, Christmas gives an opportunity to stroll down
memory lane. `My husband and I will go to Bombay (now Mumbai). After
the service, the families will get together for a grand meal,’ she
said, recalling that the service lasted three hours and was in
Armenian, the language spoken by 97.7% of the population in her
Motherland.

Maureen’s father was part of the choir in Kolkata, the city with the
most number of Armenians. Besides Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore are
home to the 125-odd Armenians in the country.

Stephen, who had been to Armenia during Christmas, spoke about the
difference in celebrations. `Eighty percent of the congregation there
stand during the service at the main Cathedral. We are so used to the
pews here.’

For Armenians, the week preceding January 6 is one of fasting. They
avoid meat (seafood not included), and eat a light meal a
day. Stephen, however, added that only 15% of the Armenians observe
the fast these days.

On January 5, families attend church and celebrate the Christmas Eve
Divine Liturgy. They do the same on the morning of January 6, and
observe that day as the Feast of the Theophany (the Manifestation of
God).

Minas said he will have dolma – minced meat and baked potato pudding
served with brown rice – for Christmas. The spices and herbs, he said,
are available at Thom’s Bakery in Frazer Town.

`My mother-in-law sends some of the herbs to us,’ said Maureen. She
said that earlier in Mumbai, they used to have lavash, a bread similar
to naan, and delicacies like kuku pilaf – rice cooked with greens and
omelette.

© 2005-2009 Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. All rights reserved.

wsid=3D1327642

NOTE.
The reporter has made an error for the following:-
Mrs.Maureen Ekanayan is not armenian,she is anglo-indian and is wife of
late Peter Eknayan whose mother Rosie Eknayan continues to take care
of our church at Mumbai.

Photos of the Ekanayan and Minas family were not included as they were not
submitted by the respective families to the reporter.