Walking the Line
Armenian life in Turkey under the long shadow of history
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December 09, 2009
Hye Geen Presents "The Armenian Woman in Armenian Folktales"
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AGBU Hye Geen committee members and featured speakers at the October 3 "Armenian Women in Armenian Folktales" event.
On October 3, 2009, the AGBU Hye Geen committee of Southern California hosted a discussion, entitled "The Armenian Woman in Armenian Folktales," which was part of a continuing series of public lectures based on social and cultural themes, designed to promote an appreciation of traditional values defining Armenian women and their national identity. The most recent event took place at the AGBU Center in Pasadena, California. Three presenters led the discussion, which focused on the depiction of women in the Armenian folk tradition.
The opening discussion was presented by Mary Mouradian, a pioneer member of Hye Geen and the first Armenian news television correspondent in the diaspora. As a firm believer in the importance and necessity of community service, she has also been active as a social worker, educator and counselor. Mouradian spoke at great length about the roots of the oral tradition, highlighting the roles played by gifted storytellers and musicians, transmitting songs and stories into social commentary. She also discussed the significance of the oral tradition in the changing historical context. To highlight the points made throughout her presentation, Mouradian alluded to Ghazaros Aghayian's fairy tale "Anahid" as well as many of the fairy tales written by Hovhannes Toumanian.
The next presenter was Alidz Agbabian, whose specialty is folklore. She is also a popular song interpreter and the author of six children's books. Her presentation focused mainly on the physical and moral characteristics of the heroines in folk songs. Agbabian accompanied her discussion with singing and music, and towards the end she had fellow attendees enthusiastically joining her.
Linda Kandilian was the third and final speaker. Kandilian is a longtime educator who currently heads the Armenian Department of the Sisters' Academy. As a dedicated community service volunteer, she has participated in the work of the Armenian Relief Society, which has included specialized counseling for its social services committee. During her talk, she spent time discussing the fact that fairy tales are disappearing from our lives at an alarming rate, mainly due to cultural and generational changes and the modern ways of life. "Fairy tales contain moral lessons. In them is the struggle between good and evil, in which evil invariable loses and good wins. The world of the fairy tale is lost in modern civilization. Let's go back and read, relate our fairy tales and legends to our children. Undoubtedly, they will hear, listen to them and love them," she concluded.
Following the lecturers, Sona Yacoubian, chair of AGBU Hye Geen, gave closing remarks and praised the Young Circle for working on Hye Geen activities and for their unparalleled enthusiasm and diligence. On behalf of the Young Circle, members Taline Yacoubian and Teresa Hairabedian spoke briefly about their work in Armenia, which includes a new center to aid pregnant women in the Talin region of Armenia.
The AGBU Hye Geen committee recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. The group was started by Sona Yacoubian in 1994 with the mission of bringing Armenian women together to discuss relevant cultural and social issues.
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