What is Easter in Armenia?

Easter is tasteful and energetic, colorful, blossoming, because lent is over and spring joy enters everyone’s heart christening for resurrection and new life.  Armenia’s Easter is truly lively. It is a holiday one won’t stay home. Aspire, optimistic, buoyancy and hope gyrate in the air. Churches and streets are full of families, young people, and children. Aroma of incense and voices of praises emerge from the churches where people are endlessly moving in and out and around.

Easter (in Armenian Zatik) is belovedand the most expected holiday in Armenia. Armenia has been Christian country since 301, and since then Easter has been popular and participative public holiday. Everybody in the streets, at home in friendly and family gatherings greets each other and says: “Christ has arisen". The answer is “Blessed is the resurrection of Christ".

Lenten fasting season lasts for 40 days before Easter. Christians, who want to fast, keep themselves away from sins and eat only vegetarian dishes. During fasting Christians attend the church and confess their sins, read Bible, keep themselves away from lasts. Towards the end of lent season a week before Palm Sunday is celebrated, when Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem. It’s a wonderfully decorated day: streets and homes are full of palm branches, people are crowned by flowers.

During lent Armenian families also put lentils or other sprouting grains on a tray covered with a thin layer of cotton, and keep it in a light place of the house until Easter when sprouts appear. These green sprouts, symbolizing spring and awakening of nature, are the “grass" on which people place colored eggs to decorate the Easter table.

Next Easter day is a day of joy and triumph against cold and darkness. Spring holiday and resurrection! Armenians have preserved the beautiful biblical lore which refers to red eggs and cheorek (sweet bread): “When Christ was crucified, his mother took some eggs and bread wrapped in the shawl. When the Mother saw her Son crucified and his arms bleeding, she knelt down and cried. The Mother’s tears and Son’s blood dropping on the shawl colored the eggs and bread. Then the Mother put the shawl on her head. Since that day people began coloring eggs red on Easter day and women began wearing shawls when visiting church.

Everywhere in Armenia in Yerevan and in every city Easter is celebrated with traditional events, dishes, songs, greetings. Especially remarkable are revels and merriments in Ejmiadzin, Dilijan, Garni and in many other places. Armenia hotels offer Easter discounts.

The Easter atmosphere will be proliferated upon everyone. Special Easter liturgy will be held in Main Cathedral of Armenia in Ejmiatsin and in all other acting churches.  Garni Pagan Temple also will join the celebrations and provide traditional Easter eggs, as presents.

To Gyumri by Train... (Part 1)

"100 Years of Armenian Railroads"

For those who have a bit of extra time, an aversion to crowded marshutkas, or enjoy the romance of ancient cities and rail travel, a day-long or overnight excursion to Gyumri by train is a fabulous way to see Armenia's second city and escape the heat of a Yerevan summer for the cool mountain air of Shirak Marz.  Trains leave the Sasunsi Davit railway station at 8:00am and 6:10pm every day rain, shine or snowstorm.  You can buy your ticket for 950 dram at the station or on board the train.  The train itself is a Soviet 1955 "elektrichka" model, a piece of living, working history.  If you take the evening train, arrive early so you can have some time to see the Armenian Railways museum, consisting of and located in a 1930's locomotive and railcar housing exhibits on the construction of the Caucasus railway system and a caretaker who will show you his 20, 30, 40 and 50 year service medals for working on the railroad system.

At the controls

As you leave Yerevan, look to your right to see the Erebuni airport, and if you're lucky spot a MiG or Russian transport plane landing or taking off.  Soon you'll pass through Etchmiadzin and be in the valley of the Arax river, where you can watch the stunning panorama of Mt. Ararat pass by out the left window, while Mt. Aragats passes by on the right.  Take the chance to get up and walk around, stick your head out of the window or chew some sunflower seeds.  Unlike a marshutka or taxi ride, you can stretch out and feel comfortable.

No tourists were harmed in the making of this blog.
The Armenia Tourism Blog does not endorse sticking your head
 out of moving train cars.

Soon you'll be in Armavir City, capital of Armavir Marz, home to one of Armenia's biggest wholesale produce markets.  You won't have much time to shop, but unless you're looking to buy a crate of plums or an entire sunflower, you won't be able to.  This is a wholesale market, after all.  Try to buy a single piece of fruit and the vendor will laugh and give it to you as a gift.  Grocers from Gyumri come here to do their shopping, then load crates of produce on the train to take back to their shops.  Help load a crate or two, or merely inquire what's inside, and you can be guaranteed a few snacks to pass the journey.  (See our post "The Fruit" for more about fruit in Armenia and pictures of the Armavir produce market.)

The evening train arrives in a village in Aragatsotn Marz

After Armavir, the train will turn northwards and skirt through the highland plateaus and small villages of Aragatsotn and Shirak Marz.  If you've taken the evening train in the Spring, Summer or Fall, you can watch the sunset over the mountains of Anatolia and spot Yezdi herding encampments along the train track.  Take the opportunity to snap some pictures, join a pickup card game with your fellow passengers or just relax and enjoy the view.  You'll be in Gyumri soon...

Stay tuned for To Gyumri by Train Part 2-Your Day in Gyumri

Sam is an American Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia.  He lives and works in Aragotsotn Marz, where he teaches English in village schools. The views and opinions expressed are his personally and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Peace Corps.   
A version of this post originally appeared on the Author's blog: www.heyamerikatsi.com 

Read more posts from Sam:
The Fruit
Starting Farmstay B&B in Armenia - Part 1
The Soviet Arcade Games of Giumri
Undiscovered Armavir Marz

PEOPLE, TOURISM AND CULTURE - ARMENIA AT ITS BEST!

Laurent Nadeau, my husband and I Louise Aznavour began our love affair with Armenia about 10 years ago. I was invited to give a series of workshops at the American University of Armenia (AUA). The caliber of the students was remarkable. Enjoyable experiences accumulated over the years as the invitations to offer volunteer professional services to companies and even consulates became part of our ‘excuse’ to go back to Armenia.

Jonathan's relaxation

Since then Armenia has pulled us back multiple times. Each time we stay about 5-6 weeks and play the role of volunteering professionals as well as grateful tourists. Laurent, a successful entrepreneur and a highly seasoned traveller is totally enamoured with this mesmerizing country and especially its people. He freely offered his positive opinion during one of my seminars (visit You Tube - Louise Aznavour Channel )

Relaxation from seminar

At every opportunity, I believe, Laurent will find reasons to organize vacations in Armenia. He loves the people, enjoying extremely good and clean food as well as seeing pretty sites. Most of all we love arts and each night it is possible to find an activity from going to Opera (in an impressive Opera House ) with quality productions or attending a Jazz Concert or strolling in the streets  filled with boutiques and lovely coffee houses. Laurent says to his friends and colleagues: “Take me back to Armenia/Yerevan anytime.” And that rings good to my ears. It is unfortunate that I have kept us away from Armenia for the past while being so busy with the publication of my e-book “Goodbye Stress - Hello Success” 

This part of the world is addictive especially with the intellectual and emotional depth it provides. It is time to go back. Armenia is calling!

 Dr. Louise Aznavour, PhD Psychologist Montreal - Canada www.stayingupbeat.com