Armenian Culture

Gary Moskowitz NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Although many of her friends decided not to attend this year's Armenian American Festival, Diana Agdaian wanted to put everything aside for a day and celebrate. But Agdaian, one of about 1,500 who attended the third annual festival that celebrates Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union, wasn't just celebrating her Armenian culture. She celebrated the freedom of living in America. "I heard that a lot of Armenians want to avoid being around large groups of other Armenians because they are a little scared," said Agdaian, 25, a resident of Hollywood.

In the late 19th century, an Armenian priest by the name of Komitas Vardapet traveled his native land, collecting folk songs that for centuries had been passed on orally from generation to generation. If not for Vardapet's work, melodies that make up the very fabric of Armenian culture might have been lost for eternity. But thanks to that work, more than 800 people gathered at the Glendale High School Auditorium Sunday were able to enjoy hauntingly beautiful renditions of o7"Akh Im Anoush Yar" f7("Oh, Sweet Love of Mine")

Red carpet trailed onto Brand Boulevard to welcome guests and nominees Saturday night to the third annual Armenian Dramatic Arts Alliance Celebrity Gala. The gala is a great way to celebrate the success of the alliance, a nonprofit that started three years ago in Boston to project the Armenian voice on the world stage through film and theater, said Zoe Kevork, West Coast manager and attorney. Now, with branches worldwide and a mailing list of 3,000, the organization is is brimming with passionate contributors.

ANI AMIRKHANIAN Every now and then, we all experience a dose of culture shock. It's not so bad, as long as we learn from it and accept people from different backgrounds and cultures. Culture shock mostly happens while traveling, or when meeting someone new. But is it common within one's own culture? It can be. Take the Armenian culture. The Diaspora Armenians, about 3 million living around the world today, are separated into various subgroups or subcultures.

A few weeks ago someone decided to get a sledgehammer and begin destroying a monument outside St. Mary's Armenian Church. This "monument" is known in Armenian as a "Khachkar," or stone cross. The Khachkar has special meaning in the Armenian culture dating back thousands of years during which Armenians shed a lot of blood defending their right to practice Christianity. All over present-day Armenia and historical western Armenia (today's Turkey and Azerbaijan), one can find thousands of these centuries-old Khachkars that have tremendous historical significance.

During the annual Armenian cultural and food festival on Sunday, Osanna Bekarian, 77, and Arsine Aposhian, 72, were making what so many Armenian s have grown up with: hand-braided string cheese. Meanwhile, Nyree Derderian, 38, was lamenting about how similar homemade dishes are less often made at home by younger generations who have grown accustomed to purchasing them at the store. “It takes so much time,” she said. “It's easier to get it at the store.” Bekarian and Aposhian - both La Crescenta residents - are members of the Armenian Relief Society of Western U.S.A., which hosts the festival as a fundraiser for its local and international charities.

CRESCENTA VALLEY — Garo Melikian, a father of two, attended the Armenian Cultural Day festival Sunday to see his daughters recite poetry, songs and skits in front of a crowd of hundreds at Vahan and Anoush Chamlian Armenian School. His fourth-grade daughter, Nairi, is improving her Armenian language speaking and understanding each year. She and her classmates recited poems and songs in Armenian, and Melikian could see her improvement. Watching his daughter perform is what a father lives for, he said.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- One thing the Armenian Cultural and Arts Festival on Sunday offers participants is a chance to learn how to make a traditional Armenian meal. This year's theme for the festival -- to be held at Van Nuys' Woodley Park, Area 2 -- is "Our Children are the Future." The event is free and open to the public. Additional attractions include touring a traditionally decorated Armenian home, watching artists craft creations, sampling signature Armenian dishes and meeting members of the Los Angeles Police and Fire departments.

I want to thank the News-Press for publishing Ani Amirkhanian's column each week. I've been waiting 20 years for something like this to bridge the gulf between the Armenian and non-Armenian community. Ms. Amirkhanian's column hits the mark because she grew up here and so is an American in much of her thought and culture, but still Armenian in some of her thought and culture -- and, of course, her heritage. I look forward to each of her insightful columns [every other]

Children's entertainer Taline is combining a love for her Armenian culture with her love of music. The Glendale resident travels around the world with her show, which features singing and dancing to traditional Armenian songs as well as those she and others have written and her husband has arranged. Her Christmas tour show will make its fourth annual stop on Sunday at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Taline came to the United States at 15. She earned a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from Cal State Northridge and worked as a pre-school teacher for several years before starting her career as an Armenian children's-music singer.