NEW YORK — The Nativity and Baptism of Jesus Christ will be observed at New York’s St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral on Monday and Tuesday, January 5 and 6, 2026.
On Monday, January 5, there will be an Evening Service (the Jrakalouyts or lamp-lighting service) at 5:30 p.m. The Divine Liturgy will immediately follow, beginning at 6 p.m., celebrated by the Rev. Fr. Davit Karamyan, Vicar of St. Vartan Cathedral.
On Tuesday, January 6—the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ—the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated by Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, who will also deliver the homily.
The Morning Service begins at 9 a.m., and the Divine Liturgy follows at 10 a.m.
The sacred music will be sung by the St. Vartan Cathedral Choir, under the direction of Hasmik Mekanejian, with Kris Kalfayan on the organ.
In Armenian tradition, this feast day commemorates not only the birth of Christ, but also his baptism by John the Baptist. The latter is remembered through the “Blessing of Water” ceremony, which will follow the Divine Liturgy. This year, the Godfather of the Cross will be Haig Ariyan.
A Christmas reception will take place following services, in Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium of the cathedral complex.
Armenian Christmas will also be observed at local parishes across the Eastern Diocese. Many parishes will celebrate on Tuesday, January 6. However, Diocesan parishes have also been permitted to celebrate the Jrakalouyts (Christmas Eve) service on Saturday, January 3, and the Christmas service and Water Blessing on Sunday, January 4, if local circumstances so demand. Please contact your local parish to ascertain the time of its Armenian Christmas celebration.
The cathedral’s Armenian Christmas Divine Liturgy will be broadcast live over the cathedral’s Facebook page and the Eastern Diocese’s YouTube platform. Many local parishes will also broadcast their services.
St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral is located at 630 Second Avenue (corner of 34th Street and Second Avenue),
The post Armenian Christmas at St. Vartan Cathedral on Jan. 6, 2026 appeared first on The Armenian Mirror-Spectator.
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