Hye Geen Group Presents Program on "Armenian Customs as Part of Ethnic Heritage"

On November 6, 2010, the AGBU Hye Geen Group presented a lecture and performance at the AGBU Pasadena Center devoted to the role of the religious and moral precepts and customs of Armenian culture in our everyday life.

Opening remarks were delivered by Sona Zeitlian, a teacher, writer, and active member of the organization. She emphasized the importance of customs and tradition as the building blocks of ethnic identity that ensure continuity from one generation to the next. She talked about the Armenians of Dersim, located between the Euphrates and Aradzani rivers -- those who survived the Armenian Genocide were forced to accept Islam, yet 95 years later they have managed to partially maintain past beliefs and customs without attracting attention, in turn passing down their awareness of being Armenian from generation to generation. As an example, she talked about an Armenian journalist from Istanbul, who, having visited Dersim, saw a youth pull a cross from his chest pocket and state, "I belong to the Hampartsoumian family and my grandmother Shoghagat gave me this cross."

Zeitlian's introduction was followed by the main speaker, Sona Yacoubian, the founder of Hye Geen Group. She gave a broad depiction of the religious and moral concepts and customs that are part of Armenian culture, starting with goddesses, the most famous of whom were Anahid, Nane, and Asdghig, as well as the god Vahakn, the only one of which is of pure Armenian origin.

Moving on to holiday customs, Yacoubian emphasized the importance of New Year, as Armenians generally celebrate the New Year with a festive tree, which represents adoration of nature. The celebration of the New Year, or Navasart, took place in August. For centuries, Armenians also worshiped plane, willow, and poplar trees, which symbolize the tree of life and the perpetuity of the family. Yacoubian also mentioned St. Sarkis, one of the most popular feasts. "This feast fulfills the desires of young men and women. On the eve of St. Sarkis, they used to eat salty bread so they could dream about who St. Sarkis would direct to give them water. The following day, the entire conversation would focus on interpretation of dreams: the one who gave water would become their husband or wife; if the pitcher were golden, they would become rich; if it were made of clay, they would become poor; the amount of water would determine how many years they would live together." She continued, "In the morning, they would put the bread under their pillows on the roof and observe what direction the birds were flying, and they believed that their prospective bride or groom would come from that direction."

Yacoubian discussed Diaruntarach (Presentation of Jesus Christ to the Temple), Paregentan (Mardi Gras), Hampartsoum (Ascension), and Vartavar (Feast of the Transfiguration) among the other popular Armenian holidays. She also mentioned that when Gregory the Illuminator began to preach Christianity, he destroyed all the pagan temples, but the Armenian people kept their ancient customs, putting a Christian stamp on them. Yacoubian concluded her speech by stating that a given individual's identity is tied up with the beliefs and customs that have been passed down to him or her.

The program continued with an entertaining theatrical presentation by actresses Sossy and Maral Varjabedian about Armenian superstitions found in our everyday life. Sona Zeitlian concluded the event with closing remarks, re-emphasizing that the beliefs and customs passed down from generation to generation have formed the basis of Armenian culture; this collective national experience has strengthened the spiritual bonds among them and created national unity.