To Armenians in the U.S., “Armenian Cultural Month” has been a feature of community life for as long as they can remember. It arrives each October—with a flurry of lectures, readings, exhibits, sacred celebrations, and events intended to remind Armenians of their rich cultural heritage.
The Armenian Church calendar lists the following saints under the title “Holy Translators”: Sahag the Parthian, Mesrob Mashdots, Yeghishé, Movses the Grammarian, David the Invincible, Gregory of Nareg, and Nersess of Hromgla.
You might think it’s a misprint. Everyone knows that Jesus had exactly twelve disciples—so why does the Armenian Church calendar reserve a feast day for the Seventy-two Disciples of Christ? (We’ll observe it this Saturday, October 1.)
An enormous procession of pilgrims converged on the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin last week, to celebrate a uniquely Armenian feast day dedicated to the Holy Cross of Varak.
In the Armenian liturgical calendar, autumn is the Season of the Holy Cross. The months of September and October are punctuated with celebrations and fasts dedicated to the Cross of Jesus Christ, and its mysterious power.
