The Holy Nativity (Surp Dzınunt), celebrated by the Armenian Apostolic Church on January 6, begins with the Arefe (Cırakaluyts) Liturgy on the evening of January 5. The Patriarch of the Armenians of Turkey, Sahak II, presided over the Arefe Liturgy in Feriköy Surp Vartanants Church on Wednesday evening, January 5, 2022.
Patriarch Sahak II, who was welcomed by the President of the Vartanants Church Foundation, Murat Eğir, and the administrators in the church garden, first went to the rest room and chatted with the administrators for a while. He then entered the Church to preside over the Sacred Liturgy, which began with evening prayers.
Deacons, senior readers and readers served the Lord’s table at the Sacred Offering, which was presented by Father Shirvan Murzyan, the clergyman of the Church, who was appointed to replace the deceased High Priest Tatul Anouchian.
The head of the Vartanants Church Foundation Murat Öğer, foundation administrators and a large number of believers were present at the service, and the members of the Church’s Vartanant Choir sang the hymns under the direction of their chief, Adrushan Hallajyan.
During the ritual, before the communion (hagortutyun) was distributed, Patriarch Sahak II preached in Armenian and Turkish.
After the sermons, the communion was distributed. At the conclusion of the Mass, the lights were turned off and all the believers and priests went out into the garden with candles in their hands. With prayers and hymns read in the dark, Patriarch Sahak II blessed bread, salt and water and wished a fruitful year. The ceremony came to an end with the final blessing of His Beatitude the Patriarch and the Lord’s prayer said together.
Afterwards, the blessed bread and salt were distributed to the believers. All the believers went home with lit candles in their hands.
