Thanks to a glut of Christian denominations confined in one small geographical space, Christmas comes three times in the Holy Land – more than anywhere else in the world. In every other part of the world, Christmas can be pencilled in on two dates: December 25, celebrated by Catholics and Pentecostals; and January 7, as celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox church. The Armenian Orthodox church in the Holy Land celebrates the Nativity of Jesus on January 18 and January 19, Crosswalk reports.
For the Armenian Christmas in the Holy Land, the Patriarch in Jerusalem, priests and a marching band will make a procession from the Old City of Jerusalem to Bethlehem. The processional continues to Bethlehem's Manger Square where there is an official reception at the Church of the Nativity. Services take place throughout the night including a midnight service at the Grotto of the Nativity.
Traditionally, families will have a holiday meal of pilaf and fish and will attend a Christmas mass at Saint James, a church rebuilt in the 1200s in Saint James Convent in Jerusalem. The Christmas service takes place at midnight and is a unique event as the only light is provided by the colorful oil lamps hanging in the square stone basilica.
