Blessing of Pomegranates Service and New Year's Eve Divine Liturgy offered at churches of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia

December 31, 2023, was the eve of the feast. Sunday Divine Liturgy was celebrated at churches of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia.

Under the presidency of His Grace Bishop Kirakos Davtyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, Rev. Father Ararat Petrosyan, who had arrived from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, celebrated Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of Saint George.

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the Diocesan Primate addressed the attendees with New Year greetings and wished the whole world and all peoples peace and health.

On New Year's Eve, in the night, a symbolic service is being offered in all Armenian churches: Blessing of Pomegranates. The Service was proclaimed by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians in 2015. The pomegranate symbolizes the year and each of its days. With the Blessing of Pomegranates, the old year ends and the new one begins.

On New Year's Day, the Blessing of Pomegranates Service was offered at churches of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia.

The Armenian faithful from Tbilisi were coming to churches with beautiful baskets and trays decorated with pomegranates to participate in the evening service.

Divine Liturgy and Prayer of Thanks Service was held under the leadership of His Grace Bishop Kirakos Davtyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, and with the participation of clergy and faithful. Under Diocesan Primate’s presidency, the pomegranate was blessed as a national symbol, which includes all days of the year and people of different nationalities and religions.

And at Saint Etchmiadzin Church in Avlabari, at the end of the evening service, Rev. Father Samvel Torosyan conveyed the blessing of the Diocesan Primate and spoke about the mystery of the blessing of pomegranates, encouraged the faithful to live under God's blessing every day of the coming year, according to God's commandments.

Blessed pomegranates were distributed to the attendees in both churches.

With the charity of Armen Petrosyan, Karen Sargsyan, Roland Sahakyan, Alla Chobanyan, Armen Degoyan, Artur Derzyan, as well as sisters Christine and Zhanna Harutyunova, devoted sons of the church, Christmas packages were distributed to 40 families of the church in Sant Etchmiadzin church in Avlabari.

The 2023 year ended in the churches of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia with a Prayer of Thanks and Service of Blessing of Pomegranates.