Armenians from Istanbul and different corners of the globe gathered in Cilicia’s Vakif (the only Armenian village in Turkey) to celebrate the Feast of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

As NEWS.am’s correspondent reports from Cilicia’s Vakif, the Armenians started preparing for the Feast of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary with performances of Armenian traditional songs and dances on the eve of the feast in the Armenian-populated Vakif, which is located at the foot of Mount Musa.

On August 14, a Holy Mass was served under the direction of Fr. Avedis Tabashian at the St. Mary’s Church in Vakif, followed by the ceremony of blessing of grapes in the churchyard. Afterwards, Fr. Avedis Tabashian approached the large boilers full of harisa that had already been made and prayed for peace.

The attendees tasted the traditional Armenian harisa, interacted and bid each other farewell with the intention to gather in the same place next year.