The Armenian communities of the Far East celebrated Armenian Christmas together in Bangkok, Thailand on January 10, 2015. As “Armenpress” reports, His Grace, Bishop Haigazun Najarian served a Christmas Mass in Thailand.

Bishop Najarian mentioned that it was touching to see Armenians from different parts of the Far East keeping the faith of their ancestors alive.

Armenia’s Honorary Consul in the Kingdom of Thailand Arto Artinyan noted that the Armenian communities in the Far East are growing in number and it’s very important for them to preserve the Armenian language, culture and traditions. RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the UAE Gegham Gharibjanyan was also in Bangkok.

The event brought together 80 Armenians from China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

These communities help preserve Armenian cultural monuments in the region, particularly the Armenian Churches of Bangladesh and Myanmar. In November 2014, His Holiness Karekin II visited Myanmar. After decades, the Armenian community of China organized an Armenian liturgy. The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation granted two academic scholarships to conduct research on the history of the Armenian presence in China.

In his turn, leader of the Chinese-Armenian community Henry Arslanyan mentioned: “Thanks to smart and goal-oriented people from different parts of the world, the Armenian communities in the Far East are growing at a rapid pace.”