On Sundays from September 11 to 17 (this year, September 13), the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, one of the main and five tabernacle feasts of the church.
It is dedicated to the memory of the return of the Lord's Cross from Persian captivity to Jerusalem and its erection and glorification at Golgotha. Exaltation means raising the cross.
History tells us that in 614, the Persian king Khosrow II Parvez (590-628) attacked the city of Jerusalem and captured it. The Persian army reduced the city to ruins, put part of the population to the sword, and took part of it captive. The Persian soldiers also plundered the Holy Resurrection Cathedral, taking with them the Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified.
The Greek emperor Heraclius, who was a devout and Christ-loving man, did not tolerate the capture of Khachapayt. In order to return the Holy Cross, he launched a holy war against King Khosrov. The Armenian army, led by Mzhezh Gnuni, also fought in Heraclius' army.
God appeared to the emperor in a vision and said: "You will win this war, because your cause is righteous." And so it happened. Heraclius won and liberated the Lord's Cross. The victorious army, together with a large crowd of people, with joy and praise from Persia, passed through Armenia, brought the Cross to Jerusalem and re-installed it in the Holy Resurrection Cathedral.
The people of Khachverat make numerous pilgrimages, especially to the holy places named after the Holy Cross.
On the eve of Khachveratsi or Sarbkhech, on Saturday, women bake pastries, men slaughter a goat and prepare a stew. The holiday is also called Ulnots. A roasted goat is called "khrovu", and a buckwheat pilaf soaked in goat fat is called "kashkak". According to folk tradition, goat meat and buckwheat pilaf are the special dishes of that day, without which the holiday cannot be complete. Dishes dedicated to the holiday include goat khrovu, mshosh, ghapaman, gata, and lentil soup.
On the holiday of Khachveratsi, a solemn ceremony of raising the cross is performed in all churches.
On Sunday evening, the Khachveratsi procession is performed with great solemnity. In the church, the cross is decorated with colorful flowers and basil and taken out and rotated around the church, which is an echo of the return of the Cross from captivity through the flowery places of the Armenian Highlands to Jerusalem. The Andastan ceremony is performed.
The priest makes the sign of the cross and blesses the four corners of the world, asking for peace from God and sprinkling rose water on the believers. After the ceremony, the evening service begins.
The day after the Cross is the day of the dead. On that day, a liturgy is served in churches, a requiem service is performed, after which the graves of the deceased are visited, leaving behind fruits, especially grapes, watermelons, pastries, dairy products, greens, and cheese. The fruits taken to the cemetery on that day were called "nan and tri".
We would like to inform you that a working day can be considered a non-working day by government decision, but this year the government has not made such a decision.
Thus, the Monday following the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14, will be a working day.
