Armenian Churches Celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary With Grape Blessing

Worshippers gathered at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin on Sunday as the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, culminating in the traditional Blessing of the Grapes.

The Armenian Report was at the Mother See on Aug. 16, documenting the liturgy, procession and grape-blessing ceremony at the spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Divine Liturgy (Badarak) was celebrated at the Mother Cathedral by Archbishop Haykazun Najaryan, a member of the Brotherhood of the Mother See.

During his sermon, Najaryan spoke about the Virgin Mary's role in Christian faith and her place in Armenian religious life. He described Mary as an intercessor who appeals to her son, Jesus Christ, on behalf of the faithful and encouraged those gathered to seek her intercession in prayer.

He also pointed to the lasting influence of devotion to Mary in Armenian culture. Churches and shrines have been dedicated to her for generations, while Armenian church altars traditionally feature the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus. Najaryan noted that many Armenian families have also named their daughters Mariam in her honor.

After the liturgy, clergy left the cathedral in procession and made their way to the open-air altar of St. Trdat, where Catholicos Karekin II, the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, presided over the Blessing of the Grapes, known in Armenian as Khaghoghorhnek.

Bunches of grapes were blessed during the ceremony and later distributed to worshippers.

Addressing the faithful afterward, Karekin II said the prayers extended beyond the fruit itself to the vineyards and fields where the harvest is grown.

The Catholicos prayed for Armenians in the country and abroad, calling on them to continue strengthening the homeland with hope and faith.

“May we always be able to overcome the trials brought by the times and build a bright, prosperous and happy future for our people,” Karekin II said.

The Blessing of the Grapes is held in conjunction with the Feast of the Assumption and is one of the Armenian Apostolic Church's best-known annual traditions. The ceremony gives thanks for the harvest, with grapes brought to churches for a blessing before being shared with the faithful.

Sunday's observance concluded as clergy distributed the blessed grapes to those gathered at Holy Etchmiadzin.

—

Support independent reporting from the region by subscribing to The Armenian Report. Our team is funded solely by readers like you.