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“When Mariam and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to donate him to the temple, the eastern door was opened with a shout, and Jerusalem’s inhabitants burned chandeliers because of darkness and went ahead to the God”
The Armenian Apostolic Church annually celebrates the Feast of the 40 day-old Jesus donation to the temple on 14 February. Many additional customs have been inherited from the past; it is celebrated with all rituals, purple bonfires, Armenian traditional gata, songs and dances.
Today, the courtyard of the National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia was also filled with the sound of a blazing bonfire. Rector Gagik Galstyan, Vice-rectors, lecturers and students gathered around the bonfire headed by the Spiritual Responsibility of the Universities and Youth Deacon Gegham Avetisyan.
“The important thing is to perceive the spiritual side of the feast, to go ahead to the God,” said the Deacon Gegham, keeping the meaning of the Tyarndarach rituals.
The students were prepared for the holiday, as appropriate, with a penny of gata, , dried fruits and, of course, a joyful dance round the bonfire. On the Day of Lovers, St. Sarkis the students gave salt pie to each other. Is not love a divine gift in itself?
Around the bonfire, he explained to the students the advice of the Tyarndarach and the meaning of rituals. According to Deacon Gegham, the bonfire is not essential more important is to go ahead to the God, to perceive the spiritual side of the Feast.
The clergyman urged students to take up self-examination these days, on February 14th, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, the Feast Tyarndarach (meaning to go ahead to the God) of 40-day-old baby Jesus dedication to the temple is celebrated.
