Armenia

History

Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat. The original Armenian name for the country was Hayk, later Hayastan (Armenian: Հայաստան), translated as the land of Haik, and consisting of the name Haik and the suffix '-stan' (land).

The name Armenia was given to the country by the surrounding states, and it is traditionally derived from Armenak or Aram (the great-grandson of Haik's great-grandson, and another leader who is, according to Armenian tradition, the ancestor of all Armenians).

Geography

Armenia is located in the southern Caucasus and is the smallest of the former Soviet republics. It is bounded by Georgia on the north, Azerbaijan on the east, Iran on the south, and Turkey on the west. Contemporary Armenia is a fraction of the size of ancient Armenia. A land of rugged mountains and extinct volcanoes, its highest point is Mount Aragats, 13,435 ft (4,095 m).

Traditions-Wedding

Armenian wedding is a very big holiday. The ceremony includes betrothal, engagement and wedding itself.

The abundance of guests at Armenian wedding is a must. The so-called “God family” act as witnesses. As a rule, they are the closest married couple known by the groom and the bride. The God family must be an exemplary couple. The Godfather is to bring the most expensive wedding gift. By the way, giving presents is a separate ceremony. The relatives of the groom and the bride and the guests give the newly-married couple jewelry, fabrics, household goods, and money.

Wedding is accompanied by a number of various cheerful ceremonies. During the redemption of the bride any amount of money can be asked, and it's a matter of Godfather's honor to find this money; the sums are symbolical, though. The bride is taken to the altar by her sponsor and God family bear responsibility for the new family from the very beginning to end. At the wedding the bride is given a boy to cuddle – it is desirable that first-born is a boy. Next morning after the wedding women related to the groom bring a red apple symbolizing the virginity to the bride's home.

The hospitality of Armenian people is known all over the world. Each time a happy event occurs people throw a party for relatives, friends, colleagues etc. Drinking and eating is a must; if you refuse you are not among the ones who share the joy. The more often you throw a feast (on any occasion) the more you will get in return, Armenians sincerely believe.

Traditionally (especially in rural areas) Armenian families have a lot of children. A birth of a child, especially a boy, is a happy event which has always been welcome. On church holidays in front of the house where a baby was born music played and the house was decorated with green branches – the symbol of family continuation. The child is not shown to anybody but the relatives for 40 days after birth.

It is accepted that a person having any happy life occasion puts his hand on a head of his friend or relative saying “tarose kes” (“I pass it to you” )- wishing them the same good luck.

Traditional Dwelling

Traditional houses in Armenian settlements have a number of distinctive features. The dwelling is usually a square building with stone walls and dirt roof supported by wooden columns. A window or a smoke duct in the roof was the only source of light. Every house had an open hearth with clay furnace standing on a dais. Some people used fireplaces.

The internal furniture of Armenians homes remained invariable for a long time. The most space in a traditional Armenian house was occupied by chests, shelves with clay, copper and wooden ware and a special kind a movable wooden barn on legs keeping grain and flour. People used to sit on the floor on mats. They had their meals at a low little table or from the cloth spread directly on the floor. Niches with doors were used as cabinets. Instead of beds big wooden ottomans stood along the walls. Traditional elements of interior were carpets, a pile of quilts and mattresses, ancient utensils.

Superstitions

In Armenia, if you have a bad dream, you need to tell the dream to the running water from the faucet in your sink. The water going down the drain will take your bad dream away.

When the crescent moon is out, you should look at the moon and look at the face of a kind person. If you have good luck during that month, you should look at that same person’s face the following month!

It is also good luck to hold up your money and show it to the crescent moon because this will bring you more money that month. One time I held up my money to the moon, and then I gave it to my friend so that he could also show the money to the moon. He then put my money into his pocket and he told me that the moon had already brought him more money! We laughed very hard at that.

We have many other superstitions. If you spill salt on the table, you should make a cross on the spilled salt and also pour water over it in order not to have a fight with someone. You should hang a horseshoe over your door, inside the house. When guests leave your house, they will pass under the horseshoe and take good luck with them.

If you see a black cat, you must turn around three times and then spit to the right and spit to the left. If you want to clean your table, you shouldn’t use a paper napkin or a paper towel in order not to lose your fortune.

In Armenia, you will also see blue beads that look like eyes; these beads can be in rings or necklaces or hung over doors. The blue beads prevent you from being envied by others. And you shouldn’t get married in May in Armenia! In the Armenian and Russian languages, “the month of May” sounds like “cry month,” so no one gets married in this month.

Rituals

The new year is celebrated on 1 January in Soviet tradition, and it is customary for people to go visiting from house to house on that day to wish each other luck and success for the new year. At midnight of New Year's Eve, it is common to go to the cemetery to visit and drink a toast to deceased family members. Christmas is celebrated by Armenians on 6 January, which is also the date of Christmas in the Orthodox church. Like other peoples of the Near East, Armenians believe in the evil eye and have various ritual means of diverting it, such as wearing blue clothing or a clove of garlic.

Greetings

Men greeting Men – In Armenia, the most common greetings between men are handshakes followed by a kiss on the cheek if the two parties have a close relationship. For new introductions, just a handshake will usually suffice.

Women greeting Women - In Armenia, women usually greet each other with hugs and a kiss on the cheek. Even if it is a first time meeting someone, most traditional Armenian women will kiss you on the cheek.

Men and Women – Traditionally, and in the rural areas, a women needs to wait for the man to present his hand for the handshake. Between good friends a family a kiss on the cheek and a light hug are common.