ASSOMPTION (ASDVADZADZINE)

The highlight is the blessing of the grape (khaghorortnek). At the end of the mass, the officiant asks God to bless the vineyards and protect them from nuisances, before distributing the grapes to the faithful. In the past, the ceremony was celebrated among the vineyards, following a custom from pagan times, when the first harvest was offered to the gods or temples, and survived for the benefit of the grapes alone. It was only after the Catholicos blessed the grapes at Etchmiadzin that Armenian practitioners allowed themselves to eat them.