YEREVAN. – Ahead of the holidays the Armenian Church becomes the place among our society where they try to bring some meaning to those holidays, Father Yesayi Artenian said at a press conference on Wednesday. 

Fr. Artenian added, however, that people still try to preserve the external part of a holiday.  

In his words, it is an accepted tradition that people come to church and celebrate New Year, Christmas, and Easter there.   

“But this does not only assume participation in the holidays, but rather teaching the people how to participate in a holiday and what is the essence of the holiday.

“The fact that people attach importance to feasts, [festive] tables, means that they still attach importance to the joys, and not to the meaning, the fast.

“Fortunately, however, the number of those fasting in the lead-up to the New Year, welcoming the New Year at church, is growing,” Father Yesayi Artenian noted.