“Armenian traditional "gochnag/kochnak" for ritual-religious use”.

Abstract

Until around the X century, when the use of bells was widespread, the Armenian Church use of the gochnag (or kochnak) which was a long wooden or metallic board, used for calling the worshippers to mass or other religious ceremonies, that was why they had bell-like function. The adoption of bells did not mean the disappearance of the gochnags, which went on to be used until the XX century, disappearing from the scene between 1915-1930 years. Today there are just a few samples among which there are four, belonging to the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, that are particularly relevant because they are the only ones that are still in actual use. The gochnags are also used in some Armenian villages of north-west of Syria, in the region of Kessab and its surroundings. The mystic Grigor Narekatsi of X century has dedicated an ode (N 92) to that instrument in his in his Book of Prayer, also called the Book of Lamentations. The Armenian Church has a special ceremony for blessing and putting into use of the go hang.