Armenian Christmas Celebrated Today

Puzant Dabaghian, a member of the choir at Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church in Encino, dusts the altar on the stage of the parish’s Avedissian Hall.

Another member, Seta Amroyan, carefully drapes white tissue paper over the hall’s second-story railing and stairway banisters.

“We do this to make it look nice and clean,” she said.

Other volunteers bring in folding chairs and poinsettias in preparation for today’s Christmas Day Mass.

Although Christmas has passed for most people, Armenian Christians and members of some other Eastern churches observe Christmas on Jan. 6, the day they believe Jesus Christ was born and baptized.

“It’s the Armenian Christmas,” said the Rev. Vicken Vassilian, pastor at Holy Martyrs.

“It’s one of the biggest days for Christian people because God is coming to live with us in our soul.

“The big question is, are we ready to accept him in our soul? That is, are we clean?”

About 2,500 people are expected to attend today’s Mass, to be said by the church’s Bishop Moushegh Mardirossian, followed by a blessing of the holy water, Vassilian said.

This ritual will be repeated in other churches throughout the Valley by those who observe the Feast of the Epiphany.

“For us, Epiphany means the celebration of the baptism of Christ by St. John the Baptist in the River Jordan,” said Father Constantine Valantasis, assistant priest at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Northridge.

Valantasis said about 600 members will attend today’s Mass.

In Van Nuys, 300 to 400 members of St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church are expected at today’s services, church officials said.