THE GROUPINGS OF THE FEASTS
IN THE ARMENIAN CHURCH

by Fr. Zaven Arzoumanian


By virtue of their nature the feasts and their observance in 
the Armenian Church are grouped into three categories:

(a)  Dominical Feasts:  to commemorate the life and the 
ordinances of Jesus Christ, and to venerate the memory of 
the Mother-of-God St. Mary.

(b)  Saints Days: to commemorate the lives of the Biblical and 
historical saints.  The latter have reached the level of 
sainthood by canonization.

(c)  Fasting Days: to repent and pray for our own souls and for 
those departed in Christ.


A.  DOMINICAL FEASTS

1.  Pertaining to Jesus Christ: 
 
a.  Epiphany: 
  - Nativity
    - Naming
      - Presentation
      - Baptism

		b. Transfiguration (Vartavar)
      - All Sundays of the year
			      - Raising of Lazarus
			      - Palm Sunday

c.  Resurrection:	
                 - Holy Week
			      - EASTER
			      - Ascension
			      - Second Palm Sunday
			      - Pentecost
						
2.  Dedicated to the Mother-of-God, Virgin Mary	
	
     - Birth
			     - Presentation
			     - Annunciation
			     - Assumption
			     - Discovery of belt and box

	3. Dominical Commemorations:
			
a.  Feasts of Cross:	
	     - Discovery
    		                - Apparition
			     - Exaltation
			     - Cross of Varak
				
b.  Feasts dedicated to the establishment of the 
Church
            - New Sunday
                - World Church Sunday
			     - Four days during the Exaltation week
				 - Holy Etchmiadzin
				- Shoghagat


B.  SAINTS DAYS

In the Armenian Church saints are observed on weekdays:  
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  Sundays are 
dominical days and are dedicated to the Resurrection.  
Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days.
	
Eighty-nine saints are derived from the Bible and are known 
as Biblical Saints.  The rest are from the first five centuries of 
Christianity.  They represent the Apostolic Fathers of the 
second century and the church Fathers of the three 
ecumenical councils to the end of the fifth century.
	
The Armenian Church later added more saints through the 
fifth and fourteenth centuries mainly from Fathers of the 
Armenian Church.


C.  FASTING DAYS

	1. All Wednesdays and Fridays, except for those during 
the fifty 		days following Easter.

	2. Weekdays preceding major feasts as follows:
		a. Nativity (6 days)
		b. Easter (Holy Week, 6 days)
		c. Transfiguration (5 days)
		d. Assumption (5 days)
		e. Exaltation	(5 days)
f. Great Lent 
     (48 days including Palm Sunday and Holy 
Week)
		g. Fast of Catechumens (5 days)
		h. Fast of Elijah (5 days, seasonal: before 
Summer)
		i. Fast of St. Gregory (5 days)
		j. Fast of the Cross of Varak (5 days, seasonal: 
before Fall)
		k. Fast of Advent (5 days)
		l. Fast of St. James of Nisibis (5 days, seasonal, 
before Winter)

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Literature
	
1.  Tonats'oyts' (Calendar of Feasts of the Armenian Church), 
2 vols. Jerusalem, 1915 (in Armenian).

2.  Ormanian, Malachia Patriarch, Dzisakan Barraran 
(Dictionary Antelias, 1957, pp. 7–65 (in Armenian).

3.  Koushagian, Torkom Patriarch, Sourbk; ew Tonk' (Saints 
and Feasts of the Armenian Church), Jerusalem, 1957. (in 
Armenian).

4.  Kaloustian, Shnorhk Patriarch, Asdvatsashnchakan 
Sourber (Biblical Saints) Istanbul, 1977 (in Armenian).
	
5.  Nersoyan, Tiran Archbishop, Divine Liturgy of the 
Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, New York, 1950, pp. 
212-229.
	
6.  Cross, F. L. (ed.), The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian 
Church, London, 1961.
	
7.  Boyajian, Dickran H., The Pillars of the Armenian Church, 
Watertown, 1962.