Gagrule.net

Gagrule.net News, Views, Interviews worldwide

Today January 6 marks the Christmas Day on the Armenian Apostolic Church

By

January 6 marks the Christmas Day on the Armenian Apostolic Church’s calendar.
Catholic Churches traditionally celebrate the feast on December 25. The day is preceded by a week of fasting; in the evening of January 5, the churches across the country serve a candlelight divine liturgy to mark the Eve of  Nativity.
The people attending the mass later take home the lit candles which symbolize divine presence and the light shining from the Star of Bethlehem.

 

 

ETCHMIADZIN. – Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II presides over, at the Cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, a Divine Liturgy commemorating the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Jesus Christ (Christmas).

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, speaker of the parliament Galust Sahakyan, Cabinet members, diplomats and hundreds of faithful are attending the Divine Liturgy.

The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Jesus Christ (Christmas) on January 6.

Three French deputies will travel to Aleppo Friday for solidarity with Christmas Armenian

By

Paris, January 5, 2017 (AFP) – Three French deputies will travel to Aleppo Friday, “on their own strictly personal initiative” and “in solidarity with the Christians of the East” on the occasion of the Armenian Christmas celebration, They announced in a statement on Thursday.

The deputies LR Thierry Mariani and Nicolas Dhuicq and Jean Lassalle, deputy Pyrénées-Atlantique, former member of the MoDem, will visit to “mark again their solidarity with the Christians of the East by celebrating Christmas with the Armenian Orthodox community “From Aleppo, north of Syria.

They will also meet during this trip “various political leaders” in Aleppo and Damascus, they say in this statement, without further details.

Thierry Mariani, elected from abroad, has already visited Syria several times despite the disapproval of the French authorities. With Nicolas Dhuicq and other French parliamentarians, they spent the Paschal weekend in Damascus last March, “in solidarity with the Christians of the East.” On that occasion, they met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

During their visit Friday, MEPs want “to see the reality of the situation of the city” and “to learn about the military and humanitarian situation” of the country, they specify.

Thursday, January 5, 2017,
Ara © armenews.com

Armenia: Presidential decree the parliamentary elections will take place on 2 April 2017

By

President Serge Sarkisian officially foresees that the next parliamentary elections will take place on 2 April 2017 in Armenia.

A presidential decree issued by the Sarkisian press office indicates that the date has been set in accordance with the country’s new electoral code adopted this summer.

The elections will be held one year before the start of the second and last parliamentary term of Sarkisian and the end of Armenia’s transition to a parliamentary system, following a controversial constitutional reform adopted a year ago. They will determine who will govern the country after April 2018.

The National Assembly which will be elected in April will also choose the next president of Armenia, the latter will have an essentially honorary role.

Senior officials of the Armenian-led Republican Party (HHK) led by Sarkisian said the HHK expects to keep control of Parliament. The party capitalized on its levers and government resources to win the last legislative elections tainted by the allegations of the opposition of electoral fraud.

Sarkisian has still not clarified whether he would like to remain in power as Prime Minister after his presidential term. So far, it has only ensured that the Armenian authorities will do their best to ensure that the vote meets democratic standards.

In September, the authorities and three major opposition parties reached an historic agreement to minimize fraud in the upcoming elections. It resulted in major changes to the electoral code.

Both the United States and the European Union welcomed the historic agreement, pledging to provide millions of dollars of funding for its implementation. But echoing the statements of Armenian opposition leaders, they warned that the amendments alone do not guarantee the freedom and fairness of the vote. “This is a matter of political will,” said the US Embassy in Yerevan on 28 November.

Thursday, January 5, 2017,
Claire © armenews.com

The Armenian Christmas Eve Candlelight Divine Liturgy to be served in all churches

By

On January 6, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The celebration of the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ starts on the evening of January 5 as the church day changes at 17:00 p.m., after the evening service. So the celebration of the feast starts in the evening of January 5 and is continued on January 6.

In the evening of January 5 people take to their homes candles lit in the church symbolizing the divine light and the blessing of the Church. Lighting candles symbolizes also the light of Bethlehem star leading the magi from the east to the Baby Jesus.

Armenian astronomers detect strong outburst of young stellar object

By

Astronomers from the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory in Armenia have discovered a strong outburst of the embedded young stellar object (YSO) designated UKIDSS-J185318.36+012454.5. This newly detected event could provide important insights for the understanding of eruptive variability of young stars. The researchers presented their discovery in a paper published December 30 on the arXiv preprint server, Phys.org reports.

UKIDSS-J185318.36+012454.5 is located in the vicinity of the IRAS 18507+0121 source and probably belongs to the massive star-forming region associated with GAL 034.4+00.23 HII region. The object is at least 5,000 light years away from the Earth and its neighborhood contains massive protostars with an age of about 100,000 years, as well as a low-mass stellar population approximately 1 million years old. The stellar object was classified as an intermediate mass YSO less than 100,000 years old.

Recently, a team of researchers led by Elena Nikoghosyan has combed through the data and images provided by the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii to search for evidence of outbursts in star-forming regions. They used the archival infrared and submillimeter data from UKIRT Galactic Plane Survey (UKIDSS GPS) and found that an outburst occurred in UKIDSS-J185318.36+012454.5 in the period of 2004-2006.

“UKIRT Galactic Plane Survey is a deep survey with good space resolution. Therefore, it provides very useful information for researchers who study star forming regions. In particular, for detection of UKIDSS-J185318.36+012454.5 outburst, UKIRT Galactic Plane Survey was the basic source of information,” Nikoghosyan told Phys.org.

According to the paper, the amplitude of brightness of the detected outburst is at least five mag. The object remained at this level of brightness until 2014.

The results of the research allowed the scientists to re-classify UKIDSS-J185318.36+012454.5 as an eruptive variable with mixed characteristics, namely a MNor-type object, and Nikoghosyan emphasized the significance of the study.

“Eruptions of pre-main sequence stellar objects are rare events, thus a new outburst is always noteworthy. And I think that the discovery of a new eruptive variable UKIDSS-J185318.36+012454.5 with a so strong outburst (delta K > 5 mag) was a big success,” she said.

The authors of the paper also sought the most plausible explanation for eruptive variability of young stars. They noted that several physical mechanisms, such as rotation, cool or hot spots, accretion-driven wind and outflow can explain the near-infrared variability, but these mechanisms often produce short-term variability with amplitude that is not expected to exceed one mag in the K band.

“In our opinion, all of the proposed explanations of this phenomena to date (eruptive variability of young stars) do not explain it completely, most likely due to lack of information. With respect to this object, we can only assume that this outburst corresponds to the transition between two evolution stages: Class 0 (no optical and near-infrared emission) and Class I (generally optically obscured). But this is only an assumption,” Nikoghosyan concluded.

The researchers now plan further observations of UKIDSS-J185318.36+012454.5. However, these studies could only be conducted in collaboration with scientists from other countries due to the fact that in Armenia, there is no opportunity to observe this object in the infrared range.

Related links:

Phys.org. Astronomers detect a strong outburst of an embedded young stellar object

American Armenian Rose Float Association 128th Tournament of Roses Parade 2017

By

American Armenian Rose Float wins 2017 “Past President’s Trophy”

The American Armenian Rose Float Association, Inc. (AARFA) is proud to announce that it has been accepted for the third time into the Tournament of Roses Parade. The 128th Tournament will be held on January 2, 2017. Though a tremendous challenge, this project is a great vote of confidence for AARFA. With skilled and talented members and supporters, the float is sure to be a success, again this coming year.

PASADENA, Calif.—The American Armenian Rose Float Association, Inc. (AARFA) presented “Field of Dreams,” the 2017 float which was the winner of the “Past President’s Trophy” for the most creative design and use of floral and nonfloral elements. “Field of Dreams” depicts this year’s 128th Tournament of Roses Parade, themed Echoes of Success, is comprised of about 18,000 plus white and red roses and other flowers, placed on the artistic rendering of Mount Ararat with thousands of other non-floral elements such as pomegranates, artichokes, nuts, lentils and more that covered the Artsakh Stallion. This is the third year that the American Armenian Rose Float Association, Inc. presents a float in the Tournament of Roses, which takes place annually in Pasadena, California.

In continuation with now a yearly tradition and to honor the role of the American Armenian community in the United States, the AARFA unveils a float to represent the strength, beauty and symbols of the Armenian community to the world. The three children upon the Artsakh stallion represent the echoes of success of the American Armenian community in science, literature and music.

A few of the float riders included Houry Gebeshian, gymnast; Michael Aram, artist; Claudette Stefanian, TV news Personality; Sarkis Mazmanian, Caltech Medical Microbiologist; Ralph Winter, Producer  of Armenian Genocide movie The Promise.

AARFA is able to create and present this float only with the help of the community. The cost to manufacture and create the float is approximately $250,000, and with all of the events and donations we conducted in 2016, we remain with a balance of a little over $50,000 to be paid by the end of the month. AARFA is a nonprofit organization for the sole purpose of presenting to the world the American Armenian community’s achievements. Please help us complete this tradition annually and donate today at AARFA.org.

For more details about “Field of Dreams” and the 2017 Riders, please see our prior press releases at AARFA.org.
The Tournament of Roses began as a promotional effort by the distinguished Valley Hunt Club of Pasadena. In the winter of 1890, the club members invited their former East Coast neighbors to warmer California for a mid-winter holiday, where they would watch games like jousting, chariot races, polo, foot races and tug-of-war. Thanks to the warmer California weather and the abundance of fresh flowers, even in winter, the club decided to add another event to these festivities: a parade of carriages decorated with hundreds of blooms. This was the start of the world-famous Tournament of Roses Parade.
On January 2, 2017, floats will be showcasing “Echoes of Success” down Colorado Blvd. along with high-stepping equestrian units and spirited marching bands. AARFA has decided to share ‘Echoes of Success” as a podium of the American Armenian diaspora success story. It is an honor to share Armenia as an sucess story in the world during the 2017 Rose Parade.

Family of Armenian soldier killed in April war welcomes New Year in new house but without him

By

The photos of contract servicemen, Private Hrachya Muradyan, 33, who died during the April war, can be seen in each corner of his house. It is the first time Hrachya’s wife and his three children have welcomed the New Year without him…Hrachya’s wife, Mrs Anna, says the only way to quench the yearning for her late husband is to ”illuminate” the house with his photos.

She cannot put up with the death of Hrachya: the only meaning of her life is to bring up her children and ensure their respectable life, as Hrachya dreamt of.  The state provided a house to Muradyan family, who used to rent a flat for many years.

In fact, this is the first time the family has welcomed the New Year in their own house, but alas without their most dear one…

”We have a new house but without Hrachya nothing can make us happy. The state has awarded a pension, which we live on now. Soon I will look for a job: I hope to find one. I am an Orinetalist by profession, but it is not easy to find a job by that major, so I will try to find some other job and continue living…”

Hrachya Muradyan died on the night of April 7 to 8, while helping his wounded friend.

The last thing he managed to do was to congratulate his mother’s day on April 7. He then assured that he was not in the positions and was taking part in military exercises. Hrachya told nothing about the tense fights. Meanwhile his family was waiting for him at home: On April 1 he was to come down form positions and return home.

Hrachya’s elder daughter is 8 years old, while his small son is 2.5.

We salute Armenian soldier wishing them a happy New Year

By

The Armenian soldier has always differed and continues to differ from the serviceman of all the countries worldwide, as he is OUR soldier.

He is at home and away from home at the same time. Each centimeter of the Armenian land is home for all of us. Armenian soldier ensures the peace for every day and for the New Year. He is the primary person in the Armenian families and all the main toasts around the tables refer to him.

The photos are taken in the military units of Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

Armenia’s civil aviation agency ‘negotiating with 40 foreign airlines’

By

As part of its efforts to expand the air travel routes connecting Armenia with world countries, the General Department of Civil Aviation is seeking to attract more partners.
At the cabinet meeting on Thursday, the agency’s chief, Sergey Avetisyan, said they are currently negotiating with over 40 foreign airlines to attract them to the Armenian market.
“We have applied to more than 40 airlines. Most of them are based in Europe; [there are also companies] from Asia and the Middle East. We have already received a response from 3-4 companies which are now planning to conduct technical discussions with us. And we too, have expressed our willingness [for future cooperation],” he added.

 

 

Video-Interview & Touring Armenian Aviation Center, A system Comparable to the world Best,

 

 

 

Armenia demands that OSCE sober Baku up after attempted subversion

By

Armenia‘s Defense Ministry on Thursday, December 29 called on the international community and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, in particular, to take immediate steps “to bring Baku to senses” after Azeri troops launched an attempted subversive attack against Armenia.

Three Armenian servicemen were killed in Azerbaijan’s attack near the village of Chinari in Tavush province in the early hours of Thursday, December 29.

In a statement Thursday, the Foreign Ministry condemned the diversionary attack by Azerbaijan on the border with Armenia, which resulted in casualties.

“In a situation where the damage to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement hasn’t been fully recovered after the events in early April, Baku is breaking its own commitment to settle the issue in a peaceful way and adhere to the agreements reached in Vienna and Saint Petersburg.

Azerbaijan on April 2 launched an overt military offensive against Karabakh, during which hundreds were killed and wounded on both sides. The parties reached an agreement on the cessation of hostilities on April 5 in Moscow.

“This is Azerbaijan’s response to the calls of the OSCE Minsk Group to remain true to the ceasefire agreements, reached in 1994-1995.”

“The international community has repeatedly urged for respecting the ceasefire especially on holidays.

“Launching the subversive attack on the eve of the New Year and Christmas, Baku goes contrary to universal values.

“The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries must take immediate measures to sober Azerbaijan up, a country that has insolently defied the OSCE calls and demands and lost its sense of reality.”