TEHRAN (IMNA) - Staying loyal to the practices of their forebears, Armenians have continued to observe Christmas on January 6th .
Most people believe that Jesus was born on December 25th, however, the exact date of Christ’s birth has not been historically specified as the Bible is actually silent on the day or the time of year when St. Mary was said to have given birth to him in Bethlehem.
Traditionally, all Christian churches celebrated Christ’s birth on January 6th until the fourth century.
According to Roman Catholic sources, the date was changed from January 6th to December 25th in an effoert to overrule a heathen feast dedicated to the birth of the Sun which was celebrated on December 25th. Aiming to subvert this pagan practice, December 25th was designated as the official date of Christmas and January 6th as the feast of Epiphany.
Armenia was not triggered by this change by the mere facts that there were no such heathen practices in the region, at that point in time, and the Armenian Church was also not a dependant body of the Roman Church. Thus, Staying loyal to the practices of their forebears, Armenians have continued to observe Christmas on January 6th .
Recognozed as one of the most ancient and venerable festivities, Epiphany commemorates the Jesus’ baptism.
During Epiphany, known as the Feast of the Great Blessing of Water, Armenians living in Isfahan attend churches where the priest blesses regular water into holy water. Years ago, it was a practice to go to the nearest river (symbol of the Jordan river) where a religious leader would bless the entire body of water.