The document describes the various stages and rituals involved in an Armenian Orthodox baptism ceremony. It discusses the participants walking into the church and making the sign of the cross, lighting candles and saying prayers, preparing the child for baptism, anointing the child with oil by the priest, making baptismal promises, the baptism itself by applying holy water to the child's head, wearing the cross to signify the completion of baptism, and celebrating afterwards at a restaurant with food, dancing, and cake-cutting.

1. Photo Observation
Baptism
By: Azatuhi Khanbekyan & Alex Gladkih
Anthropology 102
Dr. Wolfe
September 29, 2014

2. Walking into the Church
As we walked into Saint Peters
Church, we made a cross symbol
that starts from the forehead to the
stomach then across the shoulders,
left to right. This signifies the
remembrance of Jesus and how he
died on the cross to bring
redemption to the world. Then we
were able to eat a piece of holy
bread called “lavash”.

3. Lighting Candles/Prayers
As everyone arrived, they
bought candles. The money is
donated the to church. There
are 4 separate areas in the
church which people can go,
light up a candle, say a
prayer, and place it in the
sand. Many people did this
because they wanted to wish
the kids a healthy life.

4. Waiting for ceremony
During this time, people usually
either sit down and read the bible, or
they light a candle and pray. While
people are doing this, the child is
inside a small room getting ready to
be baptised. Some people also relax
and enjoy the calm and peaceful
environment of the church.

5. Anointing with oil
To anoint is to pour or smear with
oil. This process employed ritually by
many religions. In this picture, the
priest anoints the child’s forehead.
He also anoints the palms, knees
and the back of the neck. People are
anointed to symbolize the
introduction of a divine influence and
power of God.

6. Baptismal Promises
If a baby is being baptised, the
promises are made for them. The
promises that are made by the priest
are that you believe in Jesus, God,
the Holy Spirit and everlasting life.
The Godparents and the child's
parents are gathered around the
priest making their promises. This is
a very significant part of the
Baptism.

7. Baptism
When the priest begins his speech
everyone is required to be seated.
The priest reads lines from the bible
that have to do with the explanation
of the baptism. He asks questions to
the parents such as if they promise
to raise their child with the
knowledge of god, etc. At the end,
the priest puts holy water on the
childs head.

8. Priest’s Prayer
The priest usually starts off by
reading lines from the bible and
when he is finished he calls the
parents of the child forward to make
promises. During the promises, the
priest is still praying and at the same
time putting holy water on the childs
head and washing his/her hands
with the holy water.

9. Wearing the Cross
Finally, towards the end of the
ceremony it was time to wear the
cross. The priest finishes his prayers
and applies the cross on the child.
This signifies the completion of the
baptism. Wearing the cross shows
that you are commitment to being in
the religion. The cross is placed on
top of the tub near the priest.

10. Leaving the Church
We got to sit in the limo after the
baptism which took everyone to the
restaurant. The drive was so fun and
entertaining. We danced and sang
songs.

11. Arriving at restaurant
Arriving at the Olympia Banquet
Hall we had to check the guest list
for the table to sit in. The
restaurant was elegantly designed
and contained many different
decorations. Everything looked so
nice and perfect.

12. Socializing with friends
When we arrived at the restaurant we
were greeted by friends and family with
a warm welcome. While waiting for the
rest to come, we were associating with
our friends. On each table, there was a
beautiful centerpiece with small boxes
of chocolate on the plates.

13. Eating dinner
There were many varieties of
food served. For example,
salads, barbeque, fish,
xachapuri (oven baked bread
with melted cheese), and
vegetables. Most of the warm
meals were served later in the
night. These were all
traditional Armenian meals.

14. Celebrating
Dancing was the highlight and
joyful part of the night. There was
a DJ who played all genres of
music. For example, traditional
Armenian songs, American Pop,
Russian and Latin. Everyone
was on the dance floor having a
great time.

15. Eating desserts
The family cut the cake in the
middle of the night. After it was
cut, the waiters passed it
around. The cake was vanilla
with strawberry creme. The
design of the cake was very
detailed and unique. The cross
symbolized the Christening of
the kids.