Azad-Hye, Dubai
March 5 2005
Peace and Rest Service in Sharjah Armenian Church
You are invited to attend the Peace and Rest Service on Sunday 6th
March 2005 in the Saint Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church of
Sharjah (UAE) at 08:00 p.m.
At the Service the sermon will be delivered by Rev. Father Serop
Azarian, Pastor of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church in Indian
Orchard Massachusetts (Eastern US).
After reading the following article you will know the meaning of: 1)
Great Lent, 2) Poon Paregentan, 3) Palm Sunday, 4) Peace, Rest and
Sunrise Services
In the tradition of the Armenian Church there are several fasting
periods that precede important feast, but the one preceding Easter is
called the Great Lent (Medz Bahk).
The Great Lent begins on the Monday following Poon Paregentan and
lasts for 48 days, that is until the day before the Resurrection of
Lazarus (Palm Sunday). Palm Sunday marks also the triumphal entering
of Jesus to Jerusalem (Opening of Doors, Trnpatsek).
The week following Palm Sunday is known as Holy Week (Avak Shapat)
and each day of that week, Monday through Saturday, is prefixed with
the word Holy.
In the Armenian Church, lent (fasting or abstinence) means to refrain
from all meat and animal by-products and to partake only of those
foods which are plants or grown in the earth.
What are the services that take place in the Armenian Church during
the Great Lent?
The Peace Service (Khaghaghagan), the Rest Service (Hanksdyan), and
the Sunrise Service (Arevakal) are performed more often during Lent
than at other times of the year.
Peace Service, performed in the late evening, contains prayers for
peace at the end of the day. Rest Service, which comes just before
retiring for the night, asks God’s continuing care through the night.
Sunrise Service, performed first thing in the morning, reminds us
that God is the giver of the light of the morning and the light of
salvation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress