In
Armenian Christian tradition, matagh ( ''mataġ'') is a
lamb or a
rooster slated for slaughter as thanksgiving to
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
, a
practice which has continued from Armenia's past. In many regions of
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
today, this practice is very much alive in the regular slaughter of chosen animals in front of
churches.
Matagh is done often to ask God for either
forgiveness
Forgiveness, in a psychology, psychological sense, is the intentional and voluntary process by which one who may have felt initially wronged, victimized, harmed, or hurt goes through a process of changing feelings and attitude regarding a given ...
,
health
Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...
, or to give him something in return. People generally gather at the house where the Matagh was done, where they
pray and eat the meat.
Tradition
A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...
holds that the meat must be eaten before
sundown and for any salt to be used to be blessed.
While commonly misinterpreted to be a sacrifice for the remission of sins, it does not derive from the practice of
atonement through
animal sacrifice as in the
Old Testament
The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
of the
Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
. As Fr. Vazken Movsesian states, Matagh is "not a magical incantation, and the Armenian Church does not condone that kind of thing. ... We don't sell protection." Most Armenians consider it a simple recognition of thanks to God and to give food and alms to the poor and needy, as a means of "paying it forward."
Many describe it as simply being like any other festal meal given through the Church.
The meat is to be prepared in a simple way stove top (usually Khashlama) with minimal spices. It is not to be grilled over a fire. Also the meat is supposed to be shared among 7 families (relatives and/or neighbors). In many cases a Matagh takes place as an act of thanksgiving to God after an accident or other life-threatening event with a good outcome.
See also
*
Madagh
References
{{Cuisine of Armenia
Animal sacrifice
Armenian cuisine
Traditional meat processing