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Christmas Armenian style at the museum

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  • Christmas Armenian style at the museum

    Journal Times Online, WISCONSIN
    Dec 4 2004

    Christmas Armenian style at the museum
    By Phyllis Sides

    RACINE - The Racine Heritage Museum has a Christmas gift for the
    community in its Armenian-American Traditions program Sunday
    afternoon.

    Not everyone celebrates Christmas and New Year's Day the same way,
    archivist Dick Ammann said. The program is an opportunity to discover
    some of the unique and changing holiday traditions among Racine's
    Armenian-American residents.

    Visitors can discover the stories of the Feast of Saint Stephen and
    the New Year's Father as well as stories of special traditional foods,
    music and other practices, and learn how these practices have changed
    over time, adapting and adopting some American holiday customs.

    Charles Hardy, the archdeacon at St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church,
    is one of the presenters. Hardy will speak about the religious
    traditions of the season.

    "At one time the whole Christian world celebrated Christmas on the
    same day, Jan. 6," Hardy said. "But the Western Church changed to
    Dec. 25 to draw attention away from paganism. They changed it because
    many of the Roman Christians still celebrated a feast called the
    Saturnalia around that date," Hardy said.

    The Saturnalia was a feast that focused on the light and energy of the
    sun. The move was an attempt to sanctify the date and teach that
    Christ was the only source of but was the light of God.

    However, in Armenia the conflict didn't exist and Christmas continued
    to be celebrated on Jan. 6, Hardy said, although today Armenians in
    the west exchange gifts on Dec. 25, too.

    Armenians also celebrate Jesus' baptism on Jan. 6, Hardy said. In the
    Armenian church, the Epiphany commemorates Jesus' baptism.

    The program will be divided into four parts. Dr. Levon Saryan will
    speak about Armenian music and cultural traditions. Mary Buchaklian
    will talk about food and Julie Der Garabedian will talk about Armenian
    New Year customs and traditions.

    Armenians celebrate New Year's Day on Jan. 1, and traditionally it's
    the day Santa Claus would come for the children, Der Garabedian said,
    giving out small gifts and little bags of fruit and nuts.

    This free program is in conjunction with the Museum's exhibit focusing
    on State Street as a gateway neighborhood and the Armenian-Americans
    who called the neighborhood home. It is part of the Heritage Museum's
    ongoing Conversations Series.
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