Sts. Vartanantz Church held its annual picnic and Blessing of the Grapes and Madagh on Sunday, August 4, on the church grounds. Following the Divine Liturgy, Rev. Fr. Kapriel Nazarian, Pastor, and Rev. Fr. Mikael Der Kosrofian, Pastor of Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church of Whitinsville, Massachusetts, led the blessing service.
The blessing of the grapes and the Madagh are rich in symbolism. The first produce of harvest, grapes were considered the “first fruits” and had a special place in Armenian culture. It was God who gave the gift of the whole harvest and to offer Him the first fruits was to acknowledge complete dependence on Him. The Blessing of the Grapes also symbolizes fertility, and as grapes produce wine, it symbolizes the blood of Christ in the Badarak, the Armenian Divine Liturgy.
