First, a brief geography lesson: even though it’s landlocked, Armenia inhabits a corner of the globe that’s bookended by the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, with the Russian province of Georgia to its north, Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. And, oh yes, a country named Iraq is tucked into the general area.

But more to the point of the 32nd annual production of The Christmas Revels, which opens at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre next Friday: the Revels’ offices are located in Watertown, close to the homes and shops of Boston’s Armenian community. Long-time Revels director Patrick Swanson explains, "We’ve been in Watertown for several years, surrounded by the Armenian community. One of our staff members started collecting Armenian material — and we’ve been thinking about our neighbors for a while."

So this year’s Christmas Revels will turn eastward. With Boston-based actress Paula Plum as narrator and legendary — but real — 18th-century Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova as the historical and musical link between the two regions, Revels will feature the music, dance, and holiday customs of Armenia and Georgia. "All of a sudden our world has shrunken," Swanson acknowledges. "I’m appalled at how little we know of these countries."

He continues, "We have a vaguely five-year plan for Revels. We spend some time at home, in England and America, but sometimes we go abroad. However, no matter how far we travel, we always repeat some of the familiar material: ‘Lord of the Dance,’ for example, the Mummers’ Play, appearances by the Pinewoods Morris Men, and the recitation of ‘The Shortest Day,’ which comes at the end of the performance. Sometimes repeating the same material in the same place is powerful." The program will, however, include a traditional play, Khan Pasha, in which a powerful Turk is overthrown by the people. Like the English mummers’ play St. George and the Dragon, Khan Pasha is usually performed by actors going house to house.

Swanson and George Emlen, who’s been music director of Revels since 1984, have found other commonalities. In a region dominated by the still-smoking Mount Ararat, there are symbols of Noah’s Ark, as well as garden-like images that relate to the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life. "There’s a lot of line dancing in Armenia, done to fairly noisy reed instruments," Swanson says. "We’ve included a wedding in the show."

For his part, Emlen prides himself on training the choruses to be self-sufficient by opening night: "I’m obsolete before we begin." The 80-member cast includes the Arev Armenian Folk Ensemble, led by Martin Haroutunian, and several children from the Armenian Children’s Choir. "The first act," Emlen explains, "is dominated by the Armenian music; the second is Georgian singing. Armenia does not have a tradition of part singing; it’s all melodic, with terrific dance music. In contrast, Georgia has a long tradition of three-part, polyphonic music. It has deep roots that pre-date European harmony. When you put choral music on stage in a dramatic context, you illuminate it in other ways. It takes on whole new meanings."

Another holiday custom that cuts across the cultures is the marking of the transition from the old year to the new. Swanson points out that "the Armenians have a number of festivals referring to the new year. One important character is a tightrope walker who walks a rope between the old year and the new, between chaos and order." So circus performer Same Johnson will walk the traditional tightrope at this year’s Christmas Revels. "We’re covering between three and four thousand years of culture," Emlen concludes.

The Christmas Revels opens next Friday, December 13, and runs through December 29 at Sanders Theatre, 45 Quincy Street in Harvard Square. Tickets, at $18-$40 for adults and $12-$32 for children under 12, are available at the Harvard box office in the Holyoke Center arcade, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue in Harvard Square, or call (617) 496-2222, or go to www.fas.harvard.edu/~tickets/.