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ARMENIANS WORK TO KEEP FAITH, HERITAGE
By Margaret Smith/Staff Writer
Chelmsford Independent, MA
Feb 21 2007
A Mardi-Gras-styled atmosphere prevailed Saturday at the function
hall of Saints Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church in
Chelmsford, as revelers draped themselves in green and purple beads,
and centerpieces depicting jesters adorned the tables.
As befitting any grand Armenian celebration, a live band, the Ani
Ensemble, played traditional music for spirited line dances.
The celebration is called Poon Pareegentan - "Good Living" in Armenian
- and like Mardis Gras, it's a time to celebrate, socialize and indulge
a bit before the austerities of the Lenten season before Easter, when
Christians commemorate the Biblical story of Christ's resurrection.
"The reason we are out here tonight is that this is a big event.
There are a lot of new faces, and it's a time to meet new people,"
said Dennis Paroyan, 15, a freshman at Chelmsford High School. He
sat with friends at one of the tables and later made the rounds with
a few buddies to sell raffle tickets as a church fundraiser.
The festivities marked the beginning of the solemn Lenten season,
which in Orthodox Christianity - as in the Catholic Church and other
Christian denominations - means a time of prayer, reflection and
giving up some of the creature comforts of life.
For Dennis, it means giving up chocolate - or at least making the
effort. "I usually try - for just a day or two," he said, adding
that this year, he might enlist the help of family and friends for
moral support.
Despite the sizeable turnout of about 150, including many children
and teens, church organizers expressed concern about the growing
challenge of keeping the ancient traditions of Armenian Christianity
alive and relevant for new generations.
Religion and culture Parsek Nalbandian, who grew up in Billerica and
how lives in Andover, brought his whole family, including his son,
Aram, 13, and two daughters, Adriah, 11, and Azniv, 9.
For the Nalbandian family, the Lenten observances include attending
special church services weekly and eating traditional foods, as well
as abstaining from meat.
Nalbandian, whose wife, Rose Jacobson, is chairman of the parish
council, said they try to instill an appreciation of tradition
in their children. "We hope they will carry it on when they have
kids, and this will all be a memory to them," Nalbandian said. "We
incorporate the religion and the culture."
In the church sanctuary, traces of incense lingered in the air. A
drape is drawn across the altar and will be removed for Palm Sunday,
which commemorates the Biblical story of the entrance of Christ to
Jerusalem, shortly before his crucifixion.
The walls of the church sanctuary are decorated with gold-illuminated
icons, or images of saints celebrated in Orthodox Christianity. On
one wall are figures revered in particular in Armenian tradition.
"Lent is really a time of learning to prepare - to be a better
Christian," said Deacon James Magarian, a programs coordinator in
the graduate studies at department at the University of Massachusetts
at Lowell.
The church mailing list includes about 700 families, though Magarian
said not all participate regularly in church services. The church
mainly draws families from communities along the Route 3 corridor,
including Chelmsford, Billerica, Lowell, Westford, Bedford, Burlington,
and Acton as well as many in the Greater Lawrence area and southern
New Hampshire.
Magarian explained, the Armenian church is one of five churches known
as Oriental Orthodox, which observe the Orthodox Christian tradition
and which are related to the larger Orthodox church.
The five Oriental Orthodox branches trace their origins to specific
regions, mostly in the Middle East. Although the Oriental branches
have distinct identities, Magarian said worshippers from these branches
could attend any Orthodox service.
Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism have a common origin,
but carry out their observances in slightly different ways.
For example, Magarian said Orthodox Lent was set to begin Monday,
Feb. 19, whereas Lent for Catholics and other Christians begins Feb.
21 - Ash Wednesday.
Of Orthodox Lent, he said, "It's more a focus on the penitential
nature of things during the season. The fast, or so-called giving up,
is much more strict, if one is really following the prescription. It
comes from our monastic tradition, where the monks and priests would
give up eating anything from an animal."
Those who follow the Lenten fast in this fashion do so during the week,
but not on Sundays.
Each Friday during Lent, the church offers a program, each with a
theme exploring a different aspect of Lent.
"It's a time of preparation. What are we preparing for? Well we are
preparing for the resurrection. We do it as a community and we do it
individually," Magarian said.
Challenging times Much of the Armenian community in the United
States is descended from refugees who arrived between 1915 and 1922
- an episode that remains painful and disputed to this day. The
faltering Ottoman Empire ordered the mass-killings and deportations
of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians - along with many Greeks,
Kurds and other minorities - who lived within the empire's borders,
in modern-day Turkey.
A monument to the victims dominates the church's front entranceway, and
the Armenian community has lobbied the present-day Turkish government
to recognize the episode as genocide, or the deliberate attempt to
eliminate or marginalize a racial or ethnic group.
Like many immigrant communities, Armenians who came to the United
States in the early 20th century established communities in which
churches served as centers of social support as well as worship.
However, Magarian said maintaining that role today is isn't as easy.
"It's increasingly difficult. It isn't mildly difficult," Magarian
said. "You try to remind people, 'Lenten season is coming. You
shouldn't be having parties. You shouldn't be attending parties. You
should be observing the fast as best you can. There are services held
during the week. You should try to get to those.'"
However, he said, "A lot of changes have taken place. A lot of
couples have the luxury of going to college, whereas the previous
generations didn't." He added, "What does it mean to us today? How
do you demonstrate your faith today? You should be thinking about
renewal and preparation. It's a lifestyle that is difficult to fit
into modern society."
Magarian said, one obstacle is that church services are typically
conducted in the classical version of Armenian - a language once
spoken commonly in the home and which many still learn but don't use
in every day life.
Magarian, who has two adult children in their 20s, said, "I've seen
them in reaction to some of the old church ways. They worked great
for previous generations, but it's a struggle for them now to plug
into that, particularly when most of the worship service is done in
classical Armenian."
In addition, Magarian said a struggle is always maintaining the focus,
which he said goes beyond preserving Armenian heritage. "The focus
is on Jesus Christ. The focus is on God. The focus is on the faith."
Young church members, such as Dennis Paroyan, also see the obstacles.
He said he has friends with little or no interest in church services
or activities, but said he feels strongly about making a lifelong
commitment to his religious and cultural roots.
"Yes, I want to keep this going. I've been doing this for 15 years,"
said Dennis, who said he wants to help keep it going "generation
after generation."
http://www.townonline.com/chelm sford/homepage/8998918366836031487
By Margaret Smith/Staff Writer
Chelmsford Independent, MA
Feb 21 2007
A Mardi-Gras-styled atmosphere prevailed Saturday at the function
hall of Saints Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church in
Chelmsford, as revelers draped themselves in green and purple beads,
and centerpieces depicting jesters adorned the tables.
As befitting any grand Armenian celebration, a live band, the Ani
Ensemble, played traditional music for spirited line dances.
The celebration is called Poon Pareegentan - "Good Living" in Armenian
- and like Mardis Gras, it's a time to celebrate, socialize and indulge
a bit before the austerities of the Lenten season before Easter, when
Christians commemorate the Biblical story of Christ's resurrection.
"The reason we are out here tonight is that this is a big event.
There are a lot of new faces, and it's a time to meet new people,"
said Dennis Paroyan, 15, a freshman at Chelmsford High School. He
sat with friends at one of the tables and later made the rounds with
a few buddies to sell raffle tickets as a church fundraiser.
The festivities marked the beginning of the solemn Lenten season,
which in Orthodox Christianity - as in the Catholic Church and other
Christian denominations - means a time of prayer, reflection and
giving up some of the creature comforts of life.
For Dennis, it means giving up chocolate - or at least making the
effort. "I usually try - for just a day or two," he said, adding
that this year, he might enlist the help of family and friends for
moral support.
Despite the sizeable turnout of about 150, including many children
and teens, church organizers expressed concern about the growing
challenge of keeping the ancient traditions of Armenian Christianity
alive and relevant for new generations.
Religion and culture Parsek Nalbandian, who grew up in Billerica and
how lives in Andover, brought his whole family, including his son,
Aram, 13, and two daughters, Adriah, 11, and Azniv, 9.
For the Nalbandian family, the Lenten observances include attending
special church services weekly and eating traditional foods, as well
as abstaining from meat.
Nalbandian, whose wife, Rose Jacobson, is chairman of the parish
council, said they try to instill an appreciation of tradition
in their children. "We hope they will carry it on when they have
kids, and this will all be a memory to them," Nalbandian said. "We
incorporate the religion and the culture."
In the church sanctuary, traces of incense lingered in the air. A
drape is drawn across the altar and will be removed for Palm Sunday,
which commemorates the Biblical story of the entrance of Christ to
Jerusalem, shortly before his crucifixion.
The walls of the church sanctuary are decorated with gold-illuminated
icons, or images of saints celebrated in Orthodox Christianity. On
one wall are figures revered in particular in Armenian tradition.
"Lent is really a time of learning to prepare - to be a better
Christian," said Deacon James Magarian, a programs coordinator in
the graduate studies at department at the University of Massachusetts
at Lowell.
The church mailing list includes about 700 families, though Magarian
said not all participate regularly in church services. The church
mainly draws families from communities along the Route 3 corridor,
including Chelmsford, Billerica, Lowell, Westford, Bedford, Burlington,
and Acton as well as many in the Greater Lawrence area and southern
New Hampshire.
Magarian explained, the Armenian church is one of five churches known
as Oriental Orthodox, which observe the Orthodox Christian tradition
and which are related to the larger Orthodox church.
The five Oriental Orthodox branches trace their origins to specific
regions, mostly in the Middle East. Although the Oriental branches
have distinct identities, Magarian said worshippers from these branches
could attend any Orthodox service.
Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism have a common origin,
but carry out their observances in slightly different ways.
For example, Magarian said Orthodox Lent was set to begin Monday,
Feb. 19, whereas Lent for Catholics and other Christians begins Feb.
21 - Ash Wednesday.
Of Orthodox Lent, he said, "It's more a focus on the penitential
nature of things during the season. The fast, or so-called giving up,
is much more strict, if one is really following the prescription. It
comes from our monastic tradition, where the monks and priests would
give up eating anything from an animal."
Those who follow the Lenten fast in this fashion do so during the week,
but not on Sundays.
Each Friday during Lent, the church offers a program, each with a
theme exploring a different aspect of Lent.
"It's a time of preparation. What are we preparing for? Well we are
preparing for the resurrection. We do it as a community and we do it
individually," Magarian said.
Challenging times Much of the Armenian community in the United
States is descended from refugees who arrived between 1915 and 1922
- an episode that remains painful and disputed to this day. The
faltering Ottoman Empire ordered the mass-killings and deportations
of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians - along with many Greeks,
Kurds and other minorities - who lived within the empire's borders,
in modern-day Turkey.
A monument to the victims dominates the church's front entranceway, and
the Armenian community has lobbied the present-day Turkish government
to recognize the episode as genocide, or the deliberate attempt to
eliminate or marginalize a racial or ethnic group.
Like many immigrant communities, Armenians who came to the United
States in the early 20th century established communities in which
churches served as centers of social support as well as worship.
However, Magarian said maintaining that role today is isn't as easy.
"It's increasingly difficult. It isn't mildly difficult," Magarian
said. "You try to remind people, 'Lenten season is coming. You
shouldn't be having parties. You shouldn't be attending parties. You
should be observing the fast as best you can. There are services held
during the week. You should try to get to those.'"
However, he said, "A lot of changes have taken place. A lot of
couples have the luxury of going to college, whereas the previous
generations didn't." He added, "What does it mean to us today? How
do you demonstrate your faith today? You should be thinking about
renewal and preparation. It's a lifestyle that is difficult to fit
into modern society."
Magarian said, one obstacle is that church services are typically
conducted in the classical version of Armenian - a language once
spoken commonly in the home and which many still learn but don't use
in every day life.
Magarian, who has two adult children in their 20s, said, "I've seen
them in reaction to some of the old church ways. They worked great
for previous generations, but it's a struggle for them now to plug
into that, particularly when most of the worship service is done in
classical Armenian."
In addition, Magarian said a struggle is always maintaining the focus,
which he said goes beyond preserving Armenian heritage. "The focus
is on Jesus Christ. The focus is on God. The focus is on the faith."
Young church members, such as Dennis Paroyan, also see the obstacles.
He said he has friends with little or no interest in church services
or activities, but said he feels strongly about making a lifelong
commitment to his religious and cultural roots.
"Yes, I want to keep this going. I've been doing this for 15 years,"
said Dennis, who said he wants to help keep it going "generation
after generation."
http://www.townonline.com/chelm sford/homepage/8998918366836031487