Your trusted source

The Armenian people are the carrier of the Christian value-system and our big and small endeavors are crowned with prayers. The New Year comprising 365-days cycle envisages that begining with a prayer, Priest Ter Nshan Arakelyan told a press conference on Wednesday, speaking of the spiritual aspect of the New Year celebration.
 
In his words, any new initiative, like moving to a new house, starting a trip, the beginning of the New Year should also start with a prayer. “Year by year people celebrate New Year in churches, starting from Mother See [of Holy Echmiadzin] to remote churches throughout Armenian communities, marking completion of another year of life, and welcome in the New Year with prayer and rejoicing. Yet not the physical attendance of a church, but the spiritual perception of the holiday remains of an utmost importance. It has been three years since the Holy Mother has observed a Special Prayer of Thanksgiving and Service of Blessing of Pomegranates,  that symbolizes the perception and consolidation of the fertility.  That is the time for the prayer for our country, a ritual that haa been served since 1918, msrking  a Prayer of Thanks offered in all churches with the Republican Prayer following that.

The Priest noted that New Year is perceived as a family holiday with a focus not on material goods, particularly the menu and the meals but rather on the spiritual revival, family unity and love, adding we all shoud try to renew that spiritual perception of the holiday to make the celebrations beloved but not a financial burden.