Feast Days

Below is a basic classification of the feasts and fasts of the Armenian Apostolic Church:[1]

     I. Dominical Feasts
          Dominical Feasts are divided into three groups:
               A. Feasts of Christ
                    1. Theophany (Fixed)

                         Nativity (Christmas) and Baptism—January 6

                         Naming of our Lord Jesus Christ (8th Day of Nativity)—January 13

                         Presentation of the Lord to the Temple—February 14 (40th Day)

 
                    2. Resurrection (Easter): April 12
                         Celebrations related to the resurrection of Christ include:
                         Remembrance of Christ’s Raising Lazarus—April 4
                         Palm Sunday and Holy Week—April 9-15
                         The 40-day period from Easter to Ascension—May 25
                         Pentecost[2] (7 Sundays after Easter)—June 4
 
                    3. Transfiguration[3] (Vartavar): July 23
 
               B. Feasts of the Holy Mother of God (“Soorp Asdvadzadzin,” “Theotokos”)
                    Annunciation—April 7 (fixed)
                    Discovery of the Box (fifth Sunday after Pentecost)—July 9
                    Assumption (observed on the Sunday closest to August 15)—August 13
                    Discovery of the Belt (second Sunday of the Assumption) —August 27
                    Birth of the Holy Virgin Mary—September 8 (fixed)
                    Presentation to the Temple—November 21 (fixed)
                    Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary by Anna—December 9 (fixed)
 
               C. Feasts of the Holy Cross & Feasts of the Holy Church
                     Feasts of the Holy Cross
                    Apparition of the Holy Cross (fourth Sunday after Easter)—April 14
                    Exaltation of the Holy Cross (observed on the Sunday closest to September 14)—September 17
                    Holy Cross of Varak (third Sunday of the Exaltation)—October 1
                    Discovery of the Cross (Seventh Sunday of the Exaltation)—October 29
 
 Feasts of the Holy Church
     New Sunday (first Sunday after Easter) —April 23
     Green Sunday (second Sunday after Easter)—April 30
     Red Sunday (third Sunday after Easter)—May 7
     Holy Echmiadzin (second Sunday after Pentecost)—June 18
     Commemoration of the Old Ark [of the covenant] and the Feast of the      New One – the Holy Church (Saturday preceding Transfiguration, “Vartavar”)—July 22
     Shoghagat—Feast of Echmiadzin (Saturday preceding the Assumption)—August 12
 
     II. Feasts of Saints
 
     In the Armenian Apostolic Church, saints are commemorated on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, except during Great Lent on Saturdays only and during Eastertide no saints are commemorated.
 
For the list of all the Armenian Saints in our Liturgical Calendar, please see attachment.

 
     III. Fasting days
 
     There are two kinds of fasting:
     Abstinence from meat and animal products – “bahk”
     Total abstinence – “dzom”
 
     Fasting days are classified as follows:
          Daily Fast
          Wednesday and Friday, except during the forty days of Eastertide (until Ascension) and during the octave of the Theophany (January 6 – 13)

          The Fast of Great Lent and Holy Week (7 weeks)
          Great fast (medz bahk) starts on the first day of Great Lent, Monday, February 27, and continues until Great Saturday, April 15, 2017.

          Weeklong Fasts
          There are ten weeklong fasts preceding major feasts and commemorations, observed from Monday through Friday, except for the fast of the Nativity which is 6 days:

               Fast of Nativity/Theophany: December 30-January 4
               Fast of the Catechumens: February 6-10
               Fast of Elijah: June 5-9
               Fast of our Holy Father St. Gregory the Illuminator: June 26-30
               Fast of Transfiguration: July 17-21
               Fast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God: August 7-11
               Fast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: September 11-15
               Fast of the Holy Cross of Varak: September 25-29
               Fast of Advent: November 20-24
               Fast of St. Hagop: December 11-15

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     Major Feasts (Daghavar Doner)
          Nativity (Christmas) and Epiphany – January 6
          Easter – Resurrection (between March 22 and April 25)
          Transfiguration (14 Sundays after Easter)
          Assumption of the Holy Mother of God (the Sunday closest to August 15)
          Exaltation of the Holy Cross (the Sunday closest to September 14)
 
     Fixed Feasts
          Nativity (Christmas) and Theophany – January 6
          Presentation of the Lord to the Temple – February 14
          Annunciation to Mary – April 7
          The Birth of St. Mary the Theotokos – September 8
          Presentation of the Holy Mother of God – November 21
          Conception of the Virgin Mary by Anna – December 9

[1]  For information on feasts and saints, see Saints and Feasts of the Armenian Church by Patriarch Torkom Koushagian (in Armenian and an abridged version in English); Feasts of the Armenian Church and National Traditions by Garo Bedrosian (in Armenian and English). These books are available at the bookstore.

[2] The 50th day of Easter.

[3] This feast is always seven weeks after the feast of Pentecost (or 14 weeks after Easter).