CHSU Students Celebrate Armenian Christmas

CHSU students, faculty, and staff celebrated Armenian Christmas for the first cultural diversity event of the semester. The event was co-hosted by the Office of Student Affairs and Student Government Association and included lots of food, traditional music, dance, and education about the meaning of the holiday itself in the Armenian culture.
According to the church calendar, Armenian Christmas is celebrated on January 6 and holiday celebrations continue through January 13. On Christmas Eve, January 5, many Armenians light their homes and churches with candles to illuminate the end of dark days and long nights. Christmas Day is known as Water Blessing Day to commemorate Christ’s baptism.
The holidays are filled with traditions focused around family, music, dance, decorations, and food. The meal includes rice pilaf, baklava, fresh vegetables, and more. Many households also make Anooshaboor, an Armenian Christmas pudding, for their dinner. At CHSU’s celebration, many of these delicious food dishes were included.
“My favorite aspect of Armenian culture is family. Family means everything to us,” says student, Harut Idjian.
Many students, faculty, and staff also wore the three colors of the Armenian flag – red, orange, and blue – in support.