Within the framework of “The Church and the Law” series of interviews Iravaban.net talked about folk holidays and rituals with the Spititual Pastor of St. Sargis Vicarial Church of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese, the youth associations, Father Petros Malyan.
– National church holidays have gradually began to enter the life of the society. People celebrate St. Sarkis, Bun Barekendan and other holidays, what was the reason we left these holidays and how important is it that these holidays spread more in our society?
– I must say that national holidays were forgotten for quite a long time, about 70 years and more. I am proud to say that the Ararat Pontifical Diocese, with the blessing and direct support of Bishop Navasard, made it possible for us since 2013, to restore the forgotten holidays and customs. We were in quite serious struggles. In 2014, we started celebrating the Barekendan itself at the hippodrome. We received the first blow, the persecution there, saying that we preach paganism. Then we marched with torches, we celebrated Mid-Lent, Vardavar and so on. For us, the concept of carnival was only the story of oil and rice by Hovhannes Tumanyan, they didn’t know anything else. But all our national holidays are very deep, there are pagan elements as well, we should not deny it and we should not be afraid to talk about it. I would just like to remind that most of our people do not like to do anything and while doing nothing they like to criticize what has been done. We should not abandon paganism, I mean in the cultural sense, not in the sense of faith. Paganism left quite a rich cultural heritage, which later, after the adoption of Christianity, was processed and presented to our people in a more correct way. We do not look deeply at national holidays, they are multi-layered.
– I often come across opinions that the sacrifice is a pagan ritual and it is not acceptable for the general mass of society. What is a sacrifice, how does it fit into the ideology of Christianity and it possible to smear animal blood on a person?
– Matagh (sacrificial offering) is a ritual that we perform. Confirmed by Saint Gregory the Illuminator. In prayer, we say: we ask the Lord, that whatever he is involved in, may it be pleasant and acceptable for us. They bless the salt and make harissa with that lamb meat. Matagh has been turned into a feast, but its secret is charity, mercy. The problem of smearing blood is not pagan, but according to tradition, not every family was able to make a sacrifice, but the rich did it, so that it would appear that they made a sacrifice, they made a demonstrative cross on their forehead, this is the popular interpretation. Fortunately, our people do not do that now, because they do not bring animals to churches, but they bring salt and bless it. People often make sacrifices and take them to nursing homes and orphanages. Now it seem to be banned, I do not know why. As everything is forbidden currently, it is also forbidden. There are some restrictions on contacts with the spiritual society. We cooperated with the Ministry of Culture in the past. In honor of Yerevan Municipality, we cooperate till today, regardless of who is the Mayor. They have a very good attitude towards the church and our programs.
– Often, when a person gets rid of some problem, relatives make a sacrifice, what is the meaning of that? How does that help?
– It shouldn’t be like that, charity should always be done, regardless of whether there is a problem or not. If we have to remember God or we have to remember the Church in cases of having problems, it is neither faith nor… Also we do not need to trade with God or the Church.
– How did foreign holidays, for example, Valentine’s Day become more popular?
– We are a foreign-loving nation, but let me tell you, when we began to celebrate St. Sargis, foreign holidays were gradually left on the sidelines. They are young, nevertheless, they are gradually coming back to our national customs. We were criticized and insulted. We have a sermon of the cross, when we go out take away from public transport various paganistic trinkets and give crosses instead. we were often criticized.
– Soon it is the Vardavar – the Feast of Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is also celebrated. It is a pagan holiday in origin. Please explain the essence of the holiday. How should Christians celebrate it other than by sprinkling water on each other?
– Liturgy is served in all our churches on that day, and we present the mystery of transfiguration. But among our people, as in the case of Barekendan, it was oil and rice, here it is water. I must also happily say that our people have become quite civilized in the sense of watering. Before, they did it wildly without taking into account where the person was going. Now I notice that there is no aggression.
Details in the video.
Hasmik Sargsyan
