A member of the congregation holds blessed grapes during the Feast of the Assumption of St. Mary and the Blessing of the Grapes.
Villagers and visitors gather at the church.
Children play next to the village coffee house. The festival brings visitors, youth and vibrance to Vakıflı, but only for a few days.
Archbishop Aram Ateşyan, the general representative of the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul and the religious leader of the Turkish Armenians, conducts the Blessing of the Grapes ritual.
Armenian men stir pots of harisa the morning of the feast. The communal cooking of harisa starts in the afternoon and continues through the night.
The congregation prays.
Armenian girls dance during a dinner party that was organized by the residents of Vakıflı for the visitors in town for the grape festival.
Jak Çapar of Mersin grills wild boar meat on skewers for the communal dinner.
