With DNA
tests and family research so popular this holiday season, there’s
nothing better than to literally walk in the footsteps of your
ancestors. My husband’s father escaped the Armenian genocide when he was
five years old, his family fleeing to France before acquiring safe
passage to the US.
A few years back, we visited The Mormon Family Research Center in
Salt Lake City Utah and were helped by knowledgeable people who were
fluid in the languages of both our families. We were happy to learn ab out
each of our parents’ past. We’ve been to Italy but never in our wildest
dreams did we ever think we would visit Armenia. It felt so far away
from Florida and it was: 14 hours not counting connections and two
flights starting from Miami.
Armenia is a modern thriving country especially in its capital
city of Yerevan, but the nation is older than Egypt. Archeologists
discovered a cave named Arena-1 containing 6000 year old wine making
jugs along with an ancient shoe and more. It was home to Mt Ararat, home
of Noah’s Ark, which is now part of Turkey. I recently read on
“Armenian Fact of the Day” that St Nicholas, yes that St. Nick - “Santa
Claus”, was born in 280 AD to wealthy parents in Antalya Turkey and his
mother was of Armenian descent!
Throughout our fifteen day visit, we met so many kind and wonderful
people. In the city Gyumri, devastated in the 1988 earthquake, I sat at
an outdoor cafe having a cold drink with a couple on our tour from
California. The husband, a college professor, was knowledgeable and
fluent in the Armenian language as well as the country’s history. An
elderly lady  carrying
sunflower seeds in a basket with a clear shot glass in its center
walked over and was invited to sit down with us. I could see by her
clothes and shoes, she was poor. The woman looked at me and told us she
wasn’t a beggar. She refused to ask for money but instead offered to
sell shot glasses full of her seeds for whatever you wanted to pay. She
said the money would help her family members, many of whom were out of
work.
She leaned over and touched my hand
speaking to me in Armenian. The professor translated. “She wishes you
good health and a long and happy marriage.” The woman attracted a small
crowd from our group all of whom bought her seeds. Anyway, the professor
who had met her on a previous trip told me that locals told him that if
she made a wish for you, it would come true. For some peculiar reason,
she only gave her wishes to me. When it came time to leave, she followed
me to the bus and waved. What a sweetheart.
the artist colony of Dilljan, a spa town often called Armenia’s  Switzerland,
I walked into the studio of a wood carver who carried on his family
tradition. He showed me photos of ornaments he had carved for the U.S.
White House Christmas tree twenty years ago. His work was intricate even
on his larger pieces. You know I had to buy a carved egg.
Many of the country’s modern celebrations take their roots from
the ancient Persians, New Year’s, especially. Ancient Armenians
celebrated New Year’s on the 21st of March which is the
birthday of the pagan god God Vahan preparing huge feasts to welcome and
celebrate the rebirth of nature. If you have any Armenian relatives or
friends, you know every family meal is a feast. One of the most ancient
peoples of the world who respect their traditions, March 21st remained New Year’s until the 18th century, when it was changed to Jan 1st.
New Year’s remained the symbol of renewal and remembering the
past. Ancient Armenians had a thoughtful cycle of customs, many still  practiced
in villages today. The New Year is a time to begin again, to think over
your mistakes, and try to avoid repeating them. It’s a time to leave
all the bad things in the old year and look forward to the new.
Fire helps with that! Since ancient times, Armenian families have
gathered around a fire passing all their bad memories and mistakes into
the fire while receiving the fire’s healing light so the New Year would
begin bright and welcoming.
On New Year’s Eve, Armenian girls, as in ancient times, hurry to
the nearest river, lake or whatever body of water is near to throw a
piece of traditional New Year’s bread “tarechats” or a handful of grain,
to bless the water.
On the
first day of the year, the head of the family gave gifts to everyone in
the family as was done thousands of years ago. Family members exchanged
gifts, while children hung hand knitted socks on the yerdik, a type of
chimney, carrying out the tradition of their ancestors. They hoped their
stockings would be filled with sweets and presents. Sure sounds like
St. Nick to me.
On New Year’s Eve, girls read their own fortunes by placing an egg in a
plate with ashes and colors. The next morning if they found more color
than ashes, they would have a good year. The New Year’s table was
bountiful and the head of the family first blessed the table offering a
taste of honey so all would have sweet days in the year ahead.
For thousands of years homemade baked
bread decorated with small figures and temples symbolized a request for
the pagan gods to send a good year. Women baked coins inside the wheat
bread before dividing it into several parts as family hurried to find
the coins giving them luck in the year to follow.
We actually experienced something similar. We were at lunch in the
Ruben School for Young Artists and cake was served for desert. One of
the pieces of cake had a coin baked inside. The finder would have good
luck for the next year. No one in our group found it but luckily our
wonderful bus driver took a piece home to his kids and they found it. He
said his kids loved it.
We
saw so many wonderful sights like Gerhard Monastery, a UNESCO World
Heritage site carved out of the side of a mountain, the History Museum
that traced the country’s origin from ancient Persia to the present,
wineries, bakeries, and farms.
Also, we visited the last remaining pagan temple of Garni
and celebrated Armenia’s Independence Day complete with fireworks  andstreet
performers. At a carpet weaving company we were feted , eating among
the gorgeous and expensive Oriental rugs, while enjoying a show of
traditional dancing and music. We visited the Genocide memorial, and the
National Theater of state folk dancing and song.
Finally, We survived the world’s longest cable car ride, the Wings
of Tatev. Armenia is full of life, history, and, for us, making
wonderful memories as we learned about my husband’s heritage.
Please share you ancestors’ holiday customs in your comments! Some may
be similar and many different but reading them makes all our lives
richer! Happy Holidays!
- Mariah
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