Christian Feast The Feast of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God, also known as Grape Blessing (Khaghoghorhnek), is the fourth of the five major tabernacle feasts of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church. It is the oldest feast dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary and is distinguished by its Christian historical layers as well …

The foundations of Armenian legal thought date back to the formative period of the Armenian people. Law is a system of knowledge that emerged through the historical development of humanity and, through continuous interaction among societies, transcended political and state boundaries, serving the interests of various social groups, particularly the ruling elites. In medieval Armenia, …

Movses Khorenatsi and His Era. Movses Khorenatsi was a fifth-century Armenian historian who is regarded as the “father of Armenian historiography.” His most renowned work, the History of Armenia, was among the earliest attempts to present the complete history of a single nation, from its origins to the historical present of the author’s time. His …

A Historical-Geographical Overview: The Sasun region has historically and culturally been one of the most emblematic and significant areas for the Armenian people. It is located in the southern part of the Aghdznik province of Greater Armenia, in the upper reaches of the Tigris River, in a mountainous and hard-to-access terrain. Sasun functioned as a …

The Image of Noah in the Armenian Cultural Context: In Armenian cultural and epic thought, the figure of Patriarch Noah emerges as a universal symbol of renewal, harmony with nature, and spiritual transformation. He is not merely a Biblical character but also a foundational ancestor endowed with national characteristics, shaped through Armenian folk legends and …

The Historian and His Era. Faustus Buzand’s History of Armenia (5th century) is not only one of the earliest monuments of Armenian historiography but also a multifaceted compendium encompassing memoiristic narratives, Christian moral teachings, reflections on social conduct, and spiritual values. The work covers the political and religious events of the latter half of the …

Sasna Tsrer (“Daredevils of Sassoun”) is the national epic of the Armenian people. Transmitted through centuries of oral tradition, it was committed to writing only in the nineteenth century. The nucleus of the epic, however, took shape in the early medieval period (8th–10th centuries), during the Armenians’ struggle against Arab domination. It is a heroic …

The history of grape iconography dates back to the first millennium BC, during the Hellenistic era. Being semantically rich in the history of Greek mythology, the entire host culture and its individual elements reflected the semantics of grapes in virtually all areas of culture, architecture, and art as well. The architectural pearls of medieval Armenia, …

Armenian folk riddles have, for centuries, accumulated and transmitted the experience of the people, the wisdom connected with life, and the images and atmosphere of daily existence. Yet they have not been limited merely to entertainment or, so to speak, a “game of wit”; rather, they have become expressions of the Armenian spiritual and cultural …

In Classical Armenian, the word kenats (կենաց) meant “life.” In later periods, it came to refer to “a wish for well-being offered during a toast” or “to empty a glass while wishing someone long life during a toast” (Jeredian, Donikian, Der Khatchadourian 1992, p. 999). The renowned lexicographer Eduard Aghayan defines the word kenats as …