"Historically, there is no evidence that Christ was born on December 25. History has it that it was Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus (also known as Octavius) who came up with this date to bring together people, many of who used to observe pagan rituals at that time. The Advent Period we observe is much like the 'tithis' that Hindus have for some of their religious gurus," says Anthony Khatchaturian, an Armenian who lives in Kolkata and is also a history buff and chronicler.
There are about a 100 Armenians (baptised by the Orthodox Church) living in India now. Of them, about 30 are in Kolkata which has historic links with Armenia. Many important buildings and structures in the city were built by Armenians during the Raj.
Some of them are on Park Street.
"Armenians have strong links with Kolkata. We also have an Armenian School and a College in the city. Those who teach there are not Indian nationals though. They fly into the city and stay for various periods of time. Apart from the 30-odd Armenians living in Kolkata, there are several people of Armenian descent here. However, they were baptised by the Catholic Church," Khatchaturian adds.
The Christmas Mass held at the Armenian Church are also unlike those at other churches.
The priest, for instance, never faces the congregation as he would then have to turn his back to the Crucifix and Holy Bible that ie kept covered in silk.
The Armenians also have cultural links with people from Bengal.
The Bengali dish Dorma, for instance, traces its roots to the Armenian Dolma.
The only difference is that while Dorma is mincemeat packed inside pointed gourds, Armenians use grape leaves to wrap the meat in Dolma.
Kolkata, Jan 5
Armenians living in India are preparing to celebrate Christmas on Friday. Unlike other Christians, those belonging to the Armenian Orthodox Church do not celebrate Christmas on December 25. They prefer to observe an Advent Period instead that ends on January 6 when they celebrate Christmas.
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