Transfiguration Feast

Referred to also as Baydzaragerbootiun, the Feast of the Transfiguration is one of the five principal feasts of the Armenian Church, so named because of Christ's luminous appearance.  In Armenia it is also known as Vartavar (the Festival of Roses) after the old pagan feast, which it replaced.

The feast marks Christ's appearance with a resplendent countenance to three of His disciples, Peter, John, and James, on the holy mountain of Galilee, also known as Mount Tabor.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus was considering going to Jerusalem, he spoke with his disciples of the torture that was in store for Him and of the end of His life on earth.  Jesus wanted His disciples to be prepared for the coming events.

His disciples, however, did not believe that Jesus could possibly face such tribulations and Peter adamantly said none of Jesus' predictions would come true, and Jesus admonished his disciples.  About a week later, Jesus had his miraculous Transfiguration.

He went up Tabor Mountain with three of His disciples -- Simon Peter, James, and John Zebedee -- to pray as the other tired disciples remained at the bottom of the mountain.  It was there that Jesus began to assume a new appearance.  The three disciples were amazed when they saw His new radiant being.

Though it was nighttime, the disciples saw light coming from the sun in the sky.  Among the light they saw two other men -- said to be Moses and Elijah -- speaking to Jesus about His remaining time left on earth and the sacrifice He would soon make.

Then a cloud came upon the group.  The voice of God was heard, saying the same phrase he said when Jesus was baptized, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him!" (Luke 9:35).

After the Transfiguration, Jesus asked His disciples not to talk about it until His coming Resurrection.

This scene can be found in four different places in the New Testament: Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:11-7; Luke 9:29-36; and Peter II 1:17-18. 

In the Armenian calendar, the feast takes place on the 14th Sunday after Easter -- 98 days later-- so it is movable within an interval of 35 days, from June 28 to August 1.  The Orthodox and Catholic churches observe the feast of Transfiguration on a fixed day, August 6.

The official observance takes three days.  Sunday is the principal feast, Monday likewise is an ordained feast day and includes the commemoration of the dead, and Tuesday is a non-festal or weekday dominical.

About Vartavar | A Hymn for the Transfiguration

Download the song in pdf format A Hymn for the Transfiguration: Page 1 (256 K pdf file) | Page 2 (260 K pdf file) You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print pdf documents. If you do not already have it installed, you can download the reader for free by clicking on the button below.