On August 17, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mariam. It is the fourth of the five major feasts of the Armenian Church and the oldest among the feasts dedicated to the Mother of God. On this occasion, in the monasteries and churches of the Tavush Diocese, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated, followed by the rite of Blessing of Grapes.
The word “Assumption” expresses the repose of the righteous in perfect peace and closeness to God. It is not death, but a blessed passage into heaven. Such was the end of the earthly life of the Mother of God. Before the repose of the Holy Virgin, the Apostles miraculously appeared at her side to bid farewell to their beloved Mother. They witnessed how Christ received the soul of the Holy Mariam, blessing her and illuminating her with heavenly glory.
The Apostles wrapped her body and took it to the tomb. The funeral was accompanied by great signs: those who touched the bed of the Mother of God were healed of incurable diseases, and demons were expelled from the possessed. A great multitude continually gathered, and fearing this, the Jewish rulers and priests sought in every way to hinder the holy burial. One priest, filled with hatred, ran to the bed of the Virgin and tried to overturn it. But at that moment, the angel of the Lord, with an invisible blow, cut off both of his hands. Shaken by this, the Jew immediately repented, and the Apostle Peter, touching him, miraculously healed him.
The Apostle Bartholomew, who was not present at the burial, returning to Jerusalem and learning about the repose of the Holy Virgin, insisted that the Apostles open the tomb so that he might bid her a final farewell. However, the body was not in the tomb, for Christ, in accordance with His promise, had raised His Mother and taken her to Himself.
According to Armenian tradition, the image of the Mother of God was given to the Apostle Bartholomew, who brought it to Armenia. Later, in the district of Anjewats, the Church of the Holy Mother of God was built, followed by a convent and the Monastery of Hogheats, and the image was placed there. Over the centuries, the traces of the holy image disappeared, but the feast remained, as did the tradition of pilgrimage to churches and monasteries bearing the name of the Holy Mother of God.
On the day of the Feast of the Assumption, after the Divine Liturgy, the rite of Blessing of Grapes is performed, after which the blessed clusters are distributed to the people.
Blessing of Grapes
After the expulsion from Paradise, since man had been established as ruler over the whole earth, by his being cursed, his entire dominion was also cursed—that is, the entire earth, with its animals and plants. But when, with the coming of the Only-Begotten Son, human nature was once again blessed, then all visible creatures were also blessed anew. Yet, of all fruits, the cluster of grapes is blessed above all, because the Lord elevated the vine above the most powerful trees and honored it more than other plants, calling Himself the True Vine, according to His word: “I am the true vine” (John 15:1). Those who are lovingly united to the Lord He called branches, and the Father—Vinedresser, so that by pruning the vine, the Father would make it fruitful in righteousness, while the cut branches would become fuel for eternal fire.
Furthermore, the wine—the blood of the grape—the Only-Begotten Son made the material of His saving Blood, and in the Upper Room, taking it into His hands, He blessed it, saying: “This is My Blood of the New Covenant” (Matthew 26:28), by which we were redeemed and delivered from the bondage of sin and death.
Thus the grape received a double blessing—being blessed both at the first creation and at the second. Therefore, every year, we dedicate the first fruits of our fields and vineyards to God, as was the ancient custom, so that through this special offering all fruits may receive blessing. For this reason, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God, after the Divine Liturgy, the ceremony of Blessing of Grapes is performed. During this service, through the sermon of the deacon, we give thanks to the benevolent God for abundantly granting us the harvest of the fields and vineyards, and we ask Him to bless these grapes offered to the temple with His original blessing, and to grant them to us as wine for joy and as food for health of soul and body. At the same time, we appeal to the intercession of the Holy Mother of God, through whom was given to us the Fruit of life and immortality—Jesus Christ.
