Grape Blessing Day

The locals say that “Blessed grape is tastier”. Grape blessing day is a national tradition. It is one of the five main holidays of Armenian Apostolic Church. This Christian holiday is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.

According to the legend, Saint Mary lived in Jerusalem after the crucifixion of Jesus. For 12 years Holy Mother visited his son’s grave and prayed. Once appeared Archangel Gabriel and informed the news about Mary’s assumption. Gabriel gave her tuberose corona which was brought from the heaven. Saint Mary pointed her resting place in the Gethsemane’s garden.

The Armenian Church celebrates the festival the near Sunday of August 15. After the holiday of Assumption of Mary in every church perform the liturgy. In Armenian Apostolic church this holiday is special because it is connected with the grape blessing ritual. So that after the final liturgy is the blessing of the grape.

Maybe you will ask why they choose the grape for this ceremony, the priests say that the grape is the only fruit which was used for winemaking, and the wine means the blood of the Christ. The Armenian priests say that grape means the harvest and the goods of the whole year. “Blessing the grape we also bless the harvest and the goods of the whole country”. That’s why grape became the most important part of the ceremony.

It is a tradition for Armenians not to eat grape as long as it is not blessed. After the ritual, the locals start to make the tasty Armenian wine. In churches after the mass when the priests bless the grape every present member of it gets blessed grape and takes them home. In 2018 the Grape Blessing day is on August 12, 2018.