40 days to arrive, 40 days to leave: How Armenian culture honors life's most important moments

Armenian culture honors life's most important moments with a 40-day period, both after birth and after death. This tradition is deeply rooted in the Armenian Apostolic Church, which became the state religion of Armenia in 301, making it the first Christian kingdom. The number 40 appears frequently in Christian sacred time, such as 40 days after Jesus' birth and 40 days after his Resurrection. Similarly, Armenian birth and death rituals are marked by the same 40-day period of protection and mourning.

During the 40-day postpartum period known as karasunk, a mother and newborn remain close to home, sheltered from the outside world. Visitors are limited, and the newborn is kept close due to fears of supernatural beings threatening the mother and baby. Older Armenian beliefs imagined that evil spirits could harm the newborn, so protective measures were taken, such as placing a prayer book under the mattress or fastening beads to the child.

After the 40 days, rituals of cleansing and renewal are performed, including bathing the baby while reciting prayers and blessings. The protected period concludes with the baby being presented at church, echoing Christ's presentation at the Temple.

When someone dies, the funeral takes place, and the body is buried. However, death does not complete the deceased's departure from the earthly world. For 40 days, mourning restructures the everyday rhythms of the bereaved. Family and community gather around, bringing food and avoiding celebrations, music, and entertainment. The mourners are also undergoing a transition, as their loved one's journey is still unfolding in Armenian folk belief.

Special prayers are offered on the first anniversary of the death, but remembrance does not end. This 40-day period of liminality, where old ways of life have ended but a new one has not yet begun, is a shared experience in both birth and death within Armenian culture.