Christian holiday-Easter in Armenia

This year Armenian people will celebrate Easter on the 5th of April. As we know it is a great Christian holiday in all Christian countries. Spring in Armenia starts with beautiful holidays. The month April, in which Easter is celebrated, is also the middle of spring. This is one of the best times for traveling to 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. Armenians call Easter “Zatik”. Everybody in the streets and at home greets each other and says: “Christ has arisen”. The answer is “Blessed is the resurrection of Christ”.

Though Easter vacation is short in Armenia, but people prepare with great enthusiasm. Forty days before Easter, Armenian families take lentils or wreaths, put on a tray covered with a thin layer of cotton and keep under sunlight and water it, and till Easter 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. Generally, women color eggs with different images of the leaves or fully red. For achieving the dark red color, the peels of the purple onion are boiled with the eggs. The very day starts with the egg fight, wherein one tries to crack the egg of his opponent. Children roam with eggs in their hands and pockets, “fighting” with each other. The winner gets the eggs of the loser.

Easter day is marked traditionally with meals of fish or lamb, rice and lavash. Fish are usually served either fried or boiled. Rice is mixed with fried raisins and dried fruits and is served with lavash (Armenian national thin bread).

It is an old tradition, when on the Easter day people walk to the church even if it is very far away from home, in remembrance of Jesus Christ suffering for our sins, and make their dreams come true. They can go to several churches during that day.  Holiday travelers would love to take the pilgrimage with the groups.

Everywhere in Armenia in Yerevan and in every city Easter is celebrated with traditional events, dishes, songs, greetings.

Armenian Food: Dishes Made of Eggs

Armenian food culture is unique in the villages.  Dishes made of eggs play important role in Armenian food culture especially in the rural areas of Armenia.  
Eggs are cooked year-round; dishes are made mainly from chicken and quail eggs, however, occasionally goose, turkey and pigeon eggs are used. 

Eggs in combination with vegetables, mainly with tomatoes (dzvadzeh) are considered to be the most prestigious cuisine.  Eggs are fried with dried meat, such as with basturma and suchuh.  Eggs are also widely consumed in salads, soups, main dishes and bakeries. Armenians keep eggs in bins with flour, in jars with salt, or the wells in boxes fill with pre-warmed river sand. Eggs are used in cheese, also are boiled, and fried with vegetables.  

Havkit dzknkitov - appetizer of hard-boiled eggs and trout caviar.
Dzvi aghtsan - salad of whole cooked egg whites, seasoned with stuffing of hard boiled egg yolks cool with fennel and thyme flavored with lemon juice.
Hatsov dzvadzegh - fried egg with bread.
Sokhov dzvadzegh - fried eggs with slices of sweet white onion.
Panrov dzvadzegh - scrambled egg with "Jill" cheese.
Tomato Dzvadzegh - fried eggs with fresh tomatoes, peeled.

Mhlov - eggs in hard roasted butter not fully fried.
Tsnebekov dzvadzegh - scrambled eggs with asparagus.
Dzvi pnak - pancakes egg-milk mixture with chopped fresh kotem (watercress).
Chulama – scrambled from eight eggs in milk and flour, served with sour cream and spicy red pepper.
Havkit apur - soup of fresh young spinach leaves, sorrel and cutter with sliced hard boiled egg and sour cream.
Chlpur – omlet-like scrambled eggs mass, flavored with garlic and peppermint.
Avinar - scrambled eggs with garlic, matsun (yogurt) and loaves.
Dzvjhur - finely chopped white mushroom fried with onions in oil is added with beaten eggs with parsley and fried until brown. Slices served with unsalted cheese.

From Armenian Food Culture BOOK
Author: Armen Mehrabyan
Source: Armenian Dinner Blog

Spring - Wonderful Season to Visit Armenia

Spring denotes a new beginning of something special. New emotions, feelings, new experiences, impressions, new opportunities: all at once. 

Every day is a new chance to find out something unique that you had never seen or felt before. 

It’s an opportunity to discover the world full of wonders. 

Let’s get started right now. Wonderful season to discover a new land which is always pleased to receive guests.  Armenia is waiting for you! 

Everything is in bloom, aroma of fresh spring flowers besots, sun warms, the soul rejoices, the heart is filled with love and warmth. 

Definitely, everyone wants to be part of something unusual which will become part of its life history. 

So, why do not take a step right now?!!

Every day can become an unforgettable event of your life in the country where the wonders of nature admire the eyes. The sky and the earth are so close that they seem inseparable. It seems that little by little you also become a part of this indescribable beauty.

Today is Tuesday, 25 March, do not waste time, and just make your decision. Do not care of anything. All organizational issues will be resolved by experienced travel agents. Even booking hotel is not an easy job to make for those who are not familiar with local conditions in spite of large number of hotel booking sites. So finding a good travel agent is a must. Becoming your own partner the travel agent will accompany you during your entire journey and will facilitate all potential difficulties.  

Travel agents have already started preparing for the new season.  Lots of tours full of adventures are ready now. 

It’s soon Easter in Armenia: one of the most favorite holidays in the Christian world. You also have the opportunity to participate in the celebration of this wonderful holiday. There is nothing more pleasant than to share the joy with loved ones. 

So, hurry up! We are waiting for you here in Armenia.

Author: Armine Ghazaryan

Art and Therapy or Utilizing Strength of Human's Creativity

Creating an art is becoming a mean for a therapy, because the process of creating something requires intensive emotions and energy. And it helps naturally reveal inner difficulties and negative reactions that can hurt children, if not cleaned.

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication. Children are asked to freely create a piece of art, and qualified, registered Art Therapists discloses difficulties, disabilities and diagnoses problems, if they exist. These include, for example, emotional, behavioral or mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting conditions, brain-injury or neurological conditions and physical illness.

Art therapy for children can provide kids with an easier way to express themselves since children are more naturally artistic and creative.  Art therapy may be provided for groups, or for individuals, depending on children' needs. It is not a recreational activity or an art lesson, although the sessions can be enjoyable. Children do not need to have any previous experience or expertise in art.

Art therapy for children can be a much more viable solution for communication than simply having a conversation and talking about things. Art therapy can help children relieve stress, increase awareness of self, and develop healthy and effective coping skills. Children of all ages, nationalities, races and cultures can benefit from art therapy. Art therapy programs are developed around a child’s strengths and abilities, so the kid can use the medium even if he or she has never picked up a crayon before.

Even though art therapy is exposed to children it widely used among adults, and they really enjoy it not less than kids. It is the therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma, or challenges in living, and by people who seek personal development. Through creating art and reflecting on the art products and processes, people can increase awareness of self and others, cope with symptoms, stress, and traumatic experiences, enhance cognitive abilities  and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art.

Author: Siranush Hakobyan, Art Therapist at  Aya Maria Wellness and SPA Resort
Art therapy in Armenia began to develop since 2010  and  there are only few children's centers that practice art therapy. Aya Maria Wellness and SPA Center opened in 2012, using art therapy as one main activity. The course is run by Siranush Hakobyan, certified Art Therapist.  Aya Maria organizes art therapy for people of different ages.

Armenian Dolma Festival

Armenian Dolma 

In the framework of “Golden Apricot” Yerevan International Film Festival annual (third) Dolma Festival will take place, thus giving an opportunity to once again represent our Armenian rich cuisine and culture to more than 50-60 guests of the Film Festival.

Dolma is one of the most delicious and popular Armenian traditional dishes and includes the cooking techniques of the Armenian people.  The first Armenian national dolma was made in Sardarapat about 3,000 years ago. Primarily it was made with grape leaves and was called “udul” from Urartian word udul which means leaf of grape. Armenian women usually spend a long time on making dolma.

On July 10th Armenians will be exhibiting  60 types of dolma in Sardarapat, which was the scene of a 1918 battle that stopped the Turkish onslaught and led to the establishment of the first democratic Armenian republic.

The objective of organizing such festival is to introduce to wider mass the Armenian traditional cuisine and particularly dolma as a truly Armenian dish.

Apart from the traditional dolma that is made of grape or cabbage leaves and vegetables, one can also find different dolma with crow fish, fish chicken, as well as sweet dolma.

Make sure to taste amazing Armenian dolma.

May 28 - Day of Republic Marked in Sardarapat

Sardarapat Museum

The Sardarapat Museum and Memorial is the site of a last-ditch battle in 1918 between the nascent Republic of Armenia and the forces of the Ottoman Empire, who wished to reclaim Yerevan, Gyumri (then Alexandropol) and Tbilisi. The Armenians won, ensuring the survival of the nation and the people.The Catholicos, deeply saddened by the suffering of his people, ordered the bells of the mother church in Etchmiadzin as well as the bells of all Armenian churches around the country to ring all day, calling his people to come to the aid of their fighting soldiers and to participate in the defense of their fatherland. Yeznik Vartabed took with him a group of young churchmen and members of the congregation of Etchmiadzin and went to the front to fight the invaders.

Sardarapat Museum

Against tremendous odds, and during the haunting backdrop of genocide during the previous few years, Armenia's makeshift army rebuffed the Turkish troops and safeguarded the small portion of historic Armenia, what became the current republic as it stands today. On the grounds of the historic battle one can today visit the Sardarapat Ethnography and Liberation Movement History Museum adjacent to the outdoor monument.

After the Battle of Sardarabad, the Armenian representatives negotiated with the Turks in Tiflis and the independence of a little Armenia was proclaimed. Armenia declared its independence effective from 28 May, 1918.

Sardarapat Museum

Sardarapat Museum

Lavash – Traditional Armenian Bread

Armenian cuisine is quite popular with its traditional bread called lavash. It is flat, thin and soft bread that can be dried and kept for quite a long term. It is the most widespread bread in Armenia and no festive table can be imagined without lavash.

Lavash symbolizes life and wisdom. In ancient times, lavash was used during battles as it lasted long and saved the soldiers from starvation. Mothers cooked lavash, dried it and put in the bags of the soldiers

Let me introduce lavash recipe. Lavash is made of flour, water and salt. You mսst knead the dough well and leave it to rest. Then divide the dough into 300-400 gram pieces and start rolling. The dough of lavash is rolled out flat and then slapped on the hot wall of underground clay oven called tonir. Fresh lavash is easier and suitable for making wrap sandwiches and kebab.

Unlike other kinds of bread, yeast or bread starter aren’t used for making Armenian lavash. That’s why it is healthier and suitable for use during any diet. 

Sometimes villagers of Armeniabake a lot of lavash and stack high in layers to be used in winter, and then when they want to use it, they rehydrate the bread by sprinkling water on it to make it soft again. Dried lavash is also used with Armenian traditional dishcalled Khash.