Armenians look forward to Christmas on January 6

Dubai: For many people, the holidays have been brought to an end with New Year’s Day. The thinning fir tree will lose its lights on its way out, and the rest of the Christmas ornaments will soon find themselves back in the storage room. The vibrant warmth of the festive home decor will recede to its ordinary hue, and the drag of the months begins.

However, 12 days after 2013’s Christmas, the aroma of fir still breathes in Armenian households as they celebrate Christmas on January 6. Silver trays bearing dried figs, apricots and choreg (a sweet bread containing raisins) can be found on the dining tables in households.

The Armenian Community in Dubai and the northern emirates unite under the pointed dome of Sharjah’s Saint Gregory the Illuminator Church, which was inaugurated in November 1998, to pray and hear the Christmas sermon. “Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t confirm the exact date of Christmas,” Father Aram Deyirmendjian said.

“We believe that Christ was born and baptised on January 6.” The parish priest of the UAE Armenians said that both dates were the product of calculations from the day Jesus was believed to be conceived.

“While most Christians cele-brate the feast of the Epiphany [baptism] and the birth on different dates, the Armenian Church celebrates them on the same day,” he added.

“December 25 was originally a pagan festival, western churches set the date at 25th to replace it,” he said. The shift from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar also played a part in having different Christmas dates. The Russian, Coptic and Ethiopian churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 according to the Julian calender which falls in January on the Gregorian calender.

Following Christmas, Deyirmendjian said he has another duty which is to visit Armenian homes and bless them.