Feast of The Assumption of the St. Mary

Among the most beloved ceremonies in the Armenian Traditional Feasts, is the ceremony of Grape Blessing, which is held on Sunday usually following or proceeding August 15. The occasion on which we celebrate the blessing of grapes is a major feast day called “Assumption of the St. Mary” and underscores a wonderful insight unique to Christianity. The story of assumption concerns St. Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, as after having completed her life on earth, she was taken up in body and soul assumed into Heaven.
According to Samvel Mkrtchyan, who is the author of a number of ethnographic works, the his-tory of Grape Blessing dates back to the paganism that had much in common with the traditional Christmas and especially with the beliefs of abundance and richness of fruits and grapes particular-which was believed to be the noblest one among the other fruits. Moreover, on the Feast of Assumption of St. Mary the harvest for the ar was blessed on that day. Due to another sources Grapes do have a certain symbolic significance in Christianity, think of all the references which Jesus made to wine and “the vine and the ences which are still repeated in the. Time passed and the pagan holiday was included in the calendar of the Armenian Church.
Grape has the symbolic significance, as considered as “forbidden fruit”, the case with the Vardavar, and people must refuse to eat grapes until priest blessed the fruit. In the past Grape Blessing ceremony took place mainly in the Hardens, when the priest used to visit the church garden with the scissors in one hand and the cross in the other, to make grape blessing ceremony, ceremony, people would take the plates and taste the blessed grapes.
The ceremony was accompanied with pilgrim-pie used to sacrifice sheep and cock as promised – matagh (bread and butter), because Holy Mother was not only considered an embodiment of worship, but she was also powerful and could make whishes could true. Consequently, people went to the “Holy Stone of St. Mary” to cure illnesses. According to a legend, St. Mary used to have a rest by relying on a stone, when she was pregnant. That is why, pregnant women came the very place, relied on the stone in order to easily release (have children). St. Mary also helped people during drought. For example, In Gyumri the priest used to go to the field with the portrait of St. Mary in his hands, followed by the crowd of people who were crying and praying for the rain. It’s noteworthy that no case was finished without having rain after all. No doubt, the Armenian women have always considered the Holy Virgin as an embodiment of virtue, pious motherhood and the protector of family sacredness.
This tradition was widely spread among people living in Musaler, who used to make matagh-blessing on Grape Blessing Day, and people in Meghri made a real fete accompanied with dances, songs and plays. Therefore, they would make a race marathon to country house Leashkvaz, and the one who first came there was called a “fox”, and the latest one – a “horseshoe adjuster or hegin”. This year the feast is observed on August 15, and the following Monday is “merelots”- people go to cemetery to pay tribute to their dead relatives.