Europe is home to fine arts, marvelous architecture, history, vast cultural heritage created over centuries. It also has some of the world’s most intriguing festivals. To name a few; Running of the Bulls, Battle of the Oranges, Air Guitar World Championship, La Tomatina and the Near-Death Festival. There is also the Ice Music Festival taking […]

On one occasion, a New York Times reporter asked the former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger about a crisis in the Middle East that could escalate into violence within a week. His reply was short and unexpected. Kissinger replied to the reporter, saying, “There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is […]

A Nation’s legends are not fairytales. The legends are the reflection and the echo of grief, loss, disappointments and dreams of the nation that give birth to them. Some of them are so old that they go back to the very infancy of human civilization. Some are so powerful that they transcend the boundaries and […]

Many consider Anton Chekhov to be the second most famous writer in the world. According to an online movie database IMDb, Chekhov is second only to Shakespeare in terms of movie adaptations. Chekhov lived a vibrant life full of paradoxes. He had a religious education, but ended up being a struggling orthodox and later even […]

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the first king of Corinth who challenged and questioned Olympian Gods. The arrogant and rebellious behavior of the king could not go unpunished. Eventually, the deities decided that they had enough. Yet, somehow Sisyphus managed to outsmart and avoid every conspiracy of the Olympian gods and survive. When the gods […]

March 15, 44 BC in Rome was not an ordinary day. The homes, streets and markets were overtaken by unrest and worry as the residents learned about Julius Caesar’s assassination. The beloved leader was killed; the protector of Rome was no more. The brave general who fought, survived, and prevailed against Barbarian armies was betrayed […]

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” – Albert Einstein The beauty, grace and harmony of the night sky have always inspired and captivated the human imagination. It gave humanity hope that beyond this world of pain and suffering, […]

Today, we are celebrating the Feast of the Holy Cross of Varak. It is one of the four feasts dedicated to the Holy Cross and is unique to the Armenian Church. This miraculous event most probably took place on December 30, 660 A.D., when the relic of the Holy Cross, long thought to be lost, […]

The ancient lectionary of the Armenian Church does something extraordinary when it comes to today’s Gospel reading. Last week we celebrated the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and stepped into a liturgical period dedicated to the Holy Cross. One would expect that the lectionary Bible readings would be about the Cross and […]