Armenia celebrates St. Sarkis day on February 4.

Feast of St. Sarkis the Captain, Patron of Love and Youth, which falls on February 4 this year, will be held under the auspices of Serzh Sargsyan.

On Saturday, a Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in all churches bearing the name of St. Sarkis. Following the Liturgy a special ceremony of blessing of young people will be offered.

St. Sarkis has been one of the most popular saints for Armenians, especially for teenagers and lovers. There is an interesting tradition in Armenia related to this holiday. The night before St. Sarkis Day, the teenagers will go to church, firmly keeping an "Aghi plit" (salty cookie) in their pockets, which must be eaten before going to sleep. The salty cookie will make them thirsty and in their dreams whoever offers them a drink of water, will be their future husband or wife.

On the night preceding the feast of St. Sarkis faithful people place a tray full of gruel before the door believing that while passing near their door at dawn St. Sarkis will leave his footprint on the gruel symbolising the fulfillment of their dreams.

The holiday comes with the blessing of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, who proclaims the day for youth.

As the story is told, God made His presence known to St. Sarkis. His message to the great warrior was that the time had come for him to depart from his land to one where he would be directed. St. Sarkis, along with his son Mardiros, departed to the land of Armenia for a period of time, then to Khorasan, Persia, where St. Sarkis was appointed General of the armies of King Shapur, who was a staunch pagan. It was then that he and his son were called to fight for Persia against the armies of the Roman Empire. Shortly after the defeat of the Romans armies by the Persians in 363 A.D., Saint Sarkis returned to Khorasan, where he continued to teach Christianity to his troops with a renewed enthusiasm.

King Shapur, displeased with St. Sarkis' practice of Christianity, tested his allegiance to God and encouraged him to worship the pagan gods of his faith. St. Sarkis bravely refused. King Shapur became enraged, and ordered St. Sarkis to worship his pagan gods. In defiance, St. Sarkis fearlessly attacked nearby idols and images before him demonstrating complete contempt for the heathen worshippers.

Retaliatory attacks from both sides ensued, wherein during one of the incidents, Mardiros, the son of St. Sarkis was killed, and St. Sarkis himself was seized and dragged into a dungeon to await his fate. He was condemned and sentenced to decapitation.

In his final hours, St. Sarkis offered his last prayers, "Oh my Lord, Christ, my God, hear all those who utter my name in their hour of need, for they remember my martyrdom in their prayers. " A voice answered, "Your wishes shall be granted and your requests fulfilled, and you shall come to enjoy favors which have been prepared for thee." Saint Sarkis was tragically executed on the dawn of the new moon.
St. Sarkis is known as the all powerful warrior and Saint riding on a white charger, who, in the blink of an eye, reaches those calling to him for help.