The blessing of the grapes, an Armenian tradition drew crowds from as far away as Los Angeles and the Bay Area to the California Armenian Home in Fresno on Sunday, August 7.
As Fresno Bee reported, church leaders from the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in downtown Fresno led a traditional Divine Liturgy, followed by the blessing of the grapes. "Even though the vine is one of the lowly plants … it is very mighty," Deacon Mark Shirin explained later. "It is the source of wine, which symbolizes the blood of Christ."
The celebration is deeply religious, a praying for the grape harvest while celebrating the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, one of the most important holidays of the Armenian Church. The blessing is followed by a picnic, music and dancing. Shirin estimated about 2,000 people attended the day-long event.
In addition to the spiritual aspect, the event is a time for people to visit with friends and family from across the state.
Another church, the St. Paul Armenian Church in Fresno, will have its own blessing of the grapes ceremony and picnic next Sunday at the same location.
