While many Christmas trees across Pasadena are already waiting by the curbside for pickup, for Christians in Pasadena’s Armenian community, Christmas falls on Wednesday.
Jan. 6 has been celebrated as Christmas since the early days of the Christian church. During the 4th century, however, many traditions moved the date of observance to Dec. 25, coinciding with pre-existing traditions of converted populations to celebrate a pagan god, according to a statement from St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in Pasadena.
“Such actions were taken by the Church of Rome in 336, by the Church of Constantinople in 379, and by the Church of Antioch in 386,” according to the statement. “Later, at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, it was decided that all churches should accept and celebrate Dec. 25 as the date of Nativity, so that there would be universal uniformity.
“However, in that very year, the Armenian people were locked in a life-and-death national-religious war, under Commander Vartan Mamikonian, against the Persians,” the statement continued. “As a consequence, the Armenian Church was not present at the Council of Chalcedon and so remained faithful to its past practice of continuing to celebrate both the Birth and Baptism on Jan. 6.”
The existence of two separate dates to mark the birth of Jesus Chris “does not reflect a doctrinal issue,” according to the St. Sarkis statement. “It is simply a question involving a different understanding of tradition, calendar variations, and divergent administrative approaches that have arisen between churches over a period of time.”
And there’s no need to choose between them, said former Pasadena Mayor William Paparian.
“In my house, growing up, we always celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25th and Jan. 6th… because of my dad, who was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and my mom, who was a survivor of the Armenian genocide, we would celebrate American Christmas and Christmas, which meant that the Christmas tree was always kept up until after Armenian Christmas,” he recalled.
“This year my family will be celebrating Armenian Christmas in both Pasadena and Yerevan,” he said. “My oldest son, Nishan, born in Pasadena and a graduate of La Salle High School, lives and works in Armenia. My youngest son, Saro, traveled there to be with his older brother. My middle son, Aram, remains home with us.”
Several area Armenian churches have planned events to mark the “Holy Birth,” or “Sourp Dznount.”
St. Sarkis is planning a morning prayer service, a Holy Mass, a Holy Communion, and a Blessing of the Water, to be hosted in an indoor but socially distanced manner, at the church beginning at 9:30 a.m. More details are available online at facebook.com/sourpsarkis/posts/4257550157606671.
St. Gregory Armenian Church in Pasadena is hosting an online “Christmas Eve of Holy Nativity” at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Details can be found at pasadenaarmenianchurch.com/blog/event/armenian-christmas-eve-of-holy-nativity.
An Armenian Christmas Feast of the Holy Nativity & Theophany will be held online starting at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the church. More information is available at pasadenaarmenianchurch.com/blog/event/armenian-christmas-feast-of-holy-nativity.
