2009 Fall - Birthright Armenia

Depi Hayk Alumni Newsletter
Fall 2009 Edition
A message from the new Chairperson of
the Alumni Committee
Mon experience en Armenie (in French)
Alumni Corner, two newborn Birthright
babies and much much more
Staff Corner-New AVC Director, join
Birthright's new Facebook page, and
other Social Media
Photo Contest Results
Favorite anecdotes and recipes
The latest QUIZ with New Rules
Something Armenian-Armenian Theatre
A Message from the New Chairperson
of the Alumni Committee
Tania Sahakian (AAA '05)
Dear fellow alumni,
I am very honored to serve as the next Chairperson of the
Birthright Armenia Alumni Committee.
As is true for many of you, Depi Hayk holds a special place
in my heart. It is the organization which brought about a lifechanging experience for me and continues to keep me
connected to the Homeland in various ways. I would first of
all like to express my appreciation to the outgoing
Committee for their service and efforts. The new committee
members and I are eager and ready to continue building on
the mission of Birthright Armenia and at the same time
generate some new projects as well.
The Alumni Committee is an organization comprised of
Birthright's alums and run solely by alums, working side-byside with Depi Hayk. That means this is your organization,
and therefore all ideas are welcome. This time around, the
Committee has been selected to have representatives in
every region from which Birthrighters have participated in
the past. This includes the Western United States (Edgar
Martirosyan), the Eastern United States (Christine
Serdjenian), Canada (Ara Hasserjian), Europe (Talar
Sarafian), South America (Juan Karagueuzian), and the
Middle East (Shuntt Tanielian). We are going to try and
have a more regional approach, making it easier to stay
connected with Birthright locally, but at the same time
remain globally interconnected through our mission of
volunteerism in the Homeland. The Committee has great
potential as we are almost 500 alumni strong. With this kind
of network and talent, we expect many Next Step projects
to come our way, great fundraising ideas, reunions,
recruitment events, community service projects, and any
other activities/projects which fit in with Birthright and
Birthrighters.
I would like to share the following information as well.
Birthright Armenia was recently the focus of a case study by
students at the University of Southern California. One thing
that was highlighted there was the value of Depi Hayk's
alums. Our goal for the Alumni Committee is to find new
ways to get more of you involved and connected to our
mission of continued involvement once you return from the
Homeland. With this in mind, I am asking all of you for your
thoughts and input on how we can make the Alumni
Committee more active and how we can get more alums
involved. Please feel free to contact me via email at
[email protected].
I look forward to an exciting new year where we will create
stronger lines of communication through various fun and
meaningful events and projects. We are all bound together
by our Armenian roots and we have all participated in a lifechanging experience in the Homeland. I believe we need
to continue to build on that experience and keep those
connections alive and strong, both within ourselves, and
among ourselves, and with Armenia.
Depi Hayk Alumni Newsletter Fall 2009 Edition, www.birthrightarmenia.org
Story Highlights
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Tania Sahakian – [email protected]
Edgar Martirosian - [email protected]
Talar Sarafian – [email protected]
Ara Hasserjian – [email protected]
Juan Karaguezian - [email protected]
Shuntt Tanielian – [email protected]
Et Voila! We continue in our tradition of a
multi-language newsletter. This time en francais.
MON EXPERIENCE EN ARMENIE
Jennifer Pichard (AVC '09)
Descendante d'une famille arménienne ayant fuit le génocide
depuis la ville de Tokat (Arménie occidentale en actuelle
Turquie), je viens de passer quatre mois sensationnels sur
mes terres d'origines. C'est notamment grâce à l'organisme
Birthright Armenia (Depi Hayk), qui offre l'opportunité aux
arméniens de la diaspora de venir en Arménie dans le cadre
d'une mission volontariat, que ce premier voyage s'est rendu
possible. Organisant par ailleurs excursions, forums de
discussion, visites et proposant l'unique expérience de vivre
au sein d'une famille arménienne, Depi Hayk est, en ce sens,
le meilleur protagoniste pour rallier les générations issues du
génocide à leur lieu d'attache de manière utile et constructive.
Car non seulement, on obtient un tableau plus défini de la
situation actuelle en Arménie mais en plus on acquière les
connaissances indispensables pour participer
intelligiblement à la construction d'un futur lumineux. J'ai
choisi ici de relater mon histoire à travers une activité vécue
de façon quasi-intensive durant ces quatre mois : la danse
folklorique arménienne.
La danse a toujours été partie intégrante de ma vie ; elle me
permet de m'exprimer en toute liberté sans aucune contrainte
apparente. De nature réservée voire introvertie, je suis de
celles qui parle, débat et répond avec le corps.
Baignée dans la culture française et n'ayant eu que rarement
l'occasion de côtoyer mes origines arméniennes, je suis
atterrie ici comme débarquant de nulle part. Pas d'apriori, ni
expectations particulières, en d'autre terme aucune
déception à l'horizon. La seule crainte qui m'envahissait fut
celle de la langue, outil primordial à maitriser pour interagir
avec son environnement. Cette crainte s'est avérée justifiée
puisque mes conversations ne sont jamais rentrées en
profondeur pendant les deux premiers mois. Il m'a donc fallu
recourir à un moyen d'expression alternatif, la danse.
Je dois dire que les difficultés et obstacles rencontrés à l'oral
ne sont jamais survenus sur scène. L'expression corporelle
associée à la force des danses arméniennes inhibent toute
timidité jusqu'à me rendre totalement arménienne. J'ai
commencé par assister à un cours pour les débutants et
après plusieurs sessions le professeur Gagik Ginosyan m'a
proposé de rejoindre le groupe des amateurs « Karin ». Ce fut
une véritable victoire personnelle et le lourd héritage transmis
par mes ancêtres fut désormais reconnu en tant que tel.
Car il ne s'agit pas d'effectuer de simple pas de danse, il s'agit
là de raconter une histoire, de préserver des coutumes et
traditions afin de perpétuer l'authentique émotion de cet art.
Préparation mentale et physique aux combats de guerre,
femmes préparant le « matsoun », prière collective pour la
tombée de la pluie, hommage aux défunts… l'héritage porté
par les danses arméniennes est lourd, riche et varié.
J'ai eu par ailleurs le privilège de danser lors de la
représentation publique de la troupe, au théâtre Stanislavski
à Erevan. Je suis encore émue d'avoir inspiré une telle
confiance à Mr. Ginosyan et ne serai jamais assez
reconnaissante de sa gentillesse et de générosité. J'y ai
ressenti sur scène une émotion incroyable, mais plus que tout
le sentiment d'appartenir à un groupe qui partage les mêmes
racines et une passion absolue pour cet art.
Depi Hayk Alumni Newsletter Fall 2009 Edition, www.birthrightarmenia.org
Voila pourquoi aussitôt arrivée à Erevan, je me suis
renseignée sur la possibilité de prendre des cours de danse
folklorique arménienne. Cela va sans dire que cela n'aurait eu
aucun sens à mes yeux de pratiquer tout autre type de danse
sur mes terres d'origine.
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Enfin, le dernier vendredi de chaque mois nous avons cette
prodigieuse opportunité de danser parmi la population locale,
qui n'a pas forcément les moyens ou le temps de prendre des
cours par ailleurs. Durant ces quelques heures nous sommes
tous unis et égaux, profitant de chaque instant de partage qui
nous est offert. Je dois dire que ce jour représente la plus
belle récompense que je ne pouvais souhaiter d'une telle
aventure : celle d'enseigner la danse folklorique arménienne
à des enfants d'Arménie.
À tous les Arméniens de la diaspora qui liront cette histoire, je
vous incite pleinement à venir vivre une telle rencontre car ce
n'est qu'en Arménie qu'elle pourra naitre…
Merci Depi Hayk !
ALUMNI CORNER
Notable and Newsworthy
Raffi Kortoshian (AVC '06) met Liana Hovhannisyan at
the Research on Armenian Architecture NGO, where they
both have been working since 2006. Then they got
married, and now, the second Birthright baby,
Haroutyun, was born on July 20 in Yerevan. We wish the
best to the growing family!
And now for number three. Jeffrey Paretchan (AVC '04)
who married Lilit Baghdasaryan in 2007, had their first baby
Natalie this month. All the best to Jeff, Lilit and Natalie!
Along the lines of Birthright's social impact, our third
Birthright Armenia couple Areg Maghakian (AVC '07) and
Nyree Abrahamian (AVC '07) got married recently. They
met while both were volunteering in Armenia. The wedding
ceremony took place on August 15, 2009 in Yerevan with
lots of repat alumni and volunteers in attendance.
Congratulations and best wishes to you, Nyree and Areg!
Tamar Palandjian (AYF '04) and Arsen Kharatian (our
former tour guide) are starting their MS programs at George
Mason University in the Institute for Conflict Analysis and
Resolution.
Taking on the initiative of community activism, Veronica
Siranosian (AVC '06), is helping organize the ANC –
Professional Network event in Los Angeles in October.
Among the invited speakers is our own Linda Yepoyan.
Armen Yerevanian (AVC '09) started Medical School at
Case Western in Ohio. Before that, he was falling from the
sky under a parachute….
Paleny Topjian (AVC '09) from Los Angeles returned to
Armenia this summer right after her spring internship, and
now is working at ReAnimania NGO as workshop
coordinator.
Congratulations to Hrug Der Manuelian (AAA '05) who
married Bianca Kalpackian last year and is now in Illinois,
starting the MBA program at the Kellogg School of
Management at Northwestern University.
And finally, Nishan Bingham (LCO '05) just finished an
internship at the Earth Institute at Columbia University in
New York, where he worked with the Human Resources
and Development departments.
Depi Hayk Alumni Newsletter Fall 2009 Edition, www.birthrightarmenia.org
Anouch Sarafian (DAC '05) was recently engaged with
Vahe Chahbendarian in Paris.
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BR/DH STAFF CORNER:
What better news than an addition to the team! Yes, we
are glad to announce that AVC has a new Executive
Director, Sharistan Melkonian. Shari takes over from
our own Haykak, who filled the position for over a year
during our search for a permanent director. Shari brings
with her over 15 years of experience in the non-profit
sector and in the field of education management. For the
last eight years she was Legislative Director of YouthBuild
USA in Boston and New York. Says Shari, “I am
energized because I have the opportunity to work in
concert with incredible volunteers, a dedicated staff,
hundreds of alumni, and the potential wealth of
possibilities created when the Diaspora and Armenia
are bridged”. On behalf of all the alumni, we wish Shari
much success in her new position and look forward to
years of fruitful collaboration.
Social media is more than the buzz of the day. It's
undergoing exponential growth year by year, and its
impact is not yet fully understood. We are doing our part in
joining the momentum, and we are launching our own
'page' on Facebook, saying goodbye to our 'group'.
Please join us there, help us grow together on Facebook.
Moreover, we have started our own blog of volunteer
entries on Wordpress.com, we are tweeting on Twitter,
and posting on Flickr. Click the links below to access our
pages. We look forward to your active participation!
Depi Hayk Alumni Newsletter Fall 2009 Edition, www.birthrightarmenia.org
In fundraising news, our own Alexandra Ananian
(Kazarian) (AAA ‘04), and her husband Charles, will be
hosting a private fundraising event at their Whittier, CA
home in late October. And our Alumni Give Back Fund
has reached a total of $1,156. Thank you to all who have
contributed to date. The fund will continue to grow and
reach its maximum potential.
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OUR SECOND PHOTO CONTEST
FOR ALUMNI:
We concluded our fourth quarterly Alumni Photo Contest.
Thanks for the many quality submissions. The winning photo
belonged to Sara Sarkisian Bell (HFH '06). Congratulations!
It was taken at the Haghpat Monastery in 2007.
We will be looking for photos in the following two categories
–Landscape/Nature and People/Lifestyle. Just make sure
your image is as vivid, exciting and emotional as life. Photos
can be in color or black and white. We look forward to receiving
your entry, even if you did not win for an earlier contest (the
same photo may be submitted twice) by the November 15,
2009, submittal deadline.
Send them to
[email protected]. And remember: the winner will
receive a $100 amazon.com gift certificate.
ANECDOTES AND RECIPES :
We continue the new section in our newsletter, highlighting
some alumni/volunteer anecdotes, and recipes. Send us your
favorite Armenian recipes (learned anywhere), and/or your
favorite personal story from Armenia that you'd like to share
with the alumni family in the new ANECDOTES AND RECIPES
section. This time Sophia Shahverdian (AVC '09) sent the
recipe of a chocolate and one anecdote.
Here is Sophia's anecdote – “As a child, my Armenian school
teacher stressed that I had to use the proper words to speak
Armenian correctly. She would always correct me when I called
a tomato a "bamidor" instead of a "lolig." When I arrived in
Armenia, on my 1st day with my host family, I was given a "hatz,
baneer & bamidor" sandwich and I couldn't help but laugh. Poor
“lolig.”
And here is Sophia's host mom Gayane's “Armenian”
Chocolate
400 grams sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp powdered sugar
150 grams butter, softened
3 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/4 tsp vanilla
QUIZ - Pages from Armenian
History & Culture:
NEW RULES: To encourage a higher number of
respondents from our alumni, and to create a more even
playing field amongst continents, we will give all of you 72
hours to respond to our quiz with your answers. We will pick
the winner from all correct respondents by a lottery.
As always, email all answers to Haykak at
[email protected] and the winner will earn a $25 gift
certificate for www.amazon.com.
For our Summer 2009 quiz, the winner was, once again, Areg
Maghakian (AVC '06). The correct answers were:
1) Hovhannes Aivazovsky
2) Artem Mikoyan
3) Dikranagert
And here are the questions for the new quiz on theatre.
These are easy, give them a try!
1) Which American-Armenian famous film director of 20th
century used color schemes based on the work of Spanish
artists such as Diego Velázquez and El Greco?
2) Which Armenian king wrote tragedies, orations, and
historical commentaries?
3) Which famous Armenian dramatic actor began his career in
Constantinople in 1908 and was regarded as the greatest
Shakespearean actor in the Soviet Union?
Depi Hayk Alumni Newsletter Fall 2009 Edition, www.birthrightarmenia.org
In bowl beat softened butter and powdered sugar until smooth
(no bumps). Slowly add sweetened condensed milk, stopping
periodically to stir. Add cocoa powder and vanilla and continue
to beat. Beat until no bumps remain. Store in an air-tight
container. Keep refrigerated.
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SOMETHING ARMENIAN:
The Roots of the Armenian Theatre
The Armenian Theatre has its roots in the theatre of
antiquity, during the formation of the Armenian
nation 3,000 years ago. It is a natural development of
ancient religious rituals, celebrating the Vegetation God
or Life Spirit. The chief center of Armenian Paganism was
the city of Ashtishat and its temples were the holiest points
of worship for the entire nation. Pagan Armenian kings
served as high priests, and whenever a king performed a
sacrifice to the gods, it was celebrated publicly with the
participation of his subjects. Hired professional goussans
(troubadours), sang the praises of the king's or
nobleman's ancestors in lengthy verses. Goussans who
participated in burial rites and lamentations were known
as voghbergou singers of lamentations or tragedians),
and those participating in festive ceremonies were called
katak (Jester) or katakagoussan (Comedians). Tragedy is
the natural outgrowth of burial rites, and comedy stems
from the fertility rites.
The history of the Armenian Real Theater begins at
about 70 BC. According to Plutarch, the first historically
known official theatre in Armenia was built during the
reign of Tigran the Great, King of Armenia (95-55 B.C.) At
that time, neighboring nations at the Western border of
Armenia, i.e, Cappadocia, Cilicia, and Syria had
absorbed Hellenistic culture, and several theatres were
built in those regions. At the peak of his reign, when
Tigran the Great tripled his conquests, he built the city
of Tigranagert and opened its great public theatre in
69 B.C., fourteen years before Pompey's first great
public theatre in Rome.
Tigran's son, Artavazd II, who was reared in Hellenic
culture, wrote several Greek tragedies, orations, and
historical commentaries. After ascending the throne,
Artavazd built the second permanent public theatre of
Armenia in the old capital of Artashat. The tragedies of
Euripides and the comedies of Menander were regularly
produced there by a resident group of Greek actors who
were brought to Armenia.by Artavazd. They also
performed the Greek plays written by King Artavazd. King
Artavazd II is considered the first Armenian
playwright and director of Classical Armenian
Theatre.
Archeological excavations near the city of Armavir have
unearthed three large stone tablets containing a long
rhythmic Greek poem entitled “The War Loving
Goddess”. It is believed by scholars that it is a portion of a
tragedy written by Artavazd II. Armenia's earliest Christian
reformers, as well as its later non-Christian enemies,
destroyed vital records of its early artistic achievements.
So thorough was the destruction that there is minimal
evidence of pre-Christian Armenian literature.
Depi Hayk Alumni Newsletter Fall 2009 Edition, www.birthrightarmenia.org
The oldest duty of the Armenian Pantheon was the sun
god Arev (meaning sun, often a synonym for life). Hence
the Armenian expression, “May the sun be my witness,” or
“I swear by the sun of my child”. The god Vahagn was
known as the god of war and courage. His temple was
located in Ashtishat, near the temple of Anahit, Anahit was
the most celebrated of all Armenian goddesses and was
known as the Great Mother, the “Giver of Life” to the
nation. Another beloved goddess was Astrig (meaning
little star). The holy feast of Vardavar, commemorating the
blooming flower was dedicated to her. Armenians still
celebrate this holiday with festivities. The god
symbolizing nature was Ara the Handsome. Tir, the god of
knowledge, was the god who led the souls of the dead to
the underworld. As such, Tir's connection with ancestral
worship ceremonies led to the development of Mystery
plays.
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Records about pre-Christian Armenian history are in
foreign sources, such as Syriac, Classical Persian and
Pahlevi, Greek and Latin. Many pagan customs and
mores, however, were absorbed into Christianity and are
still evident. While the formal Armenian Theatre, under
Tigran and Artavazd, produced plays in the Greek
language, the folk theatre of the Goussans continued
to perform their plays in traditional, native Armenian.
The Armenian historian, Movses Khorenatzi (5th century
A.D.), tells us that in pagan Armenia, dance was a vital
part of the presentation and services of the Armenian
epos (epic poetry). The ceremonial rendition of the
Armenian epos was made by katakergag goussans
(Comedian Troubadours) through dance movements and
mimicry, expressing the meaning of the plot without
dialogue. The Comedian Troubadours were the first
pantomime players of the Armenian folk stages. The
popularity of the Mime theatre increased, and when it
reached highly indecent levels of eroticism, the church
vehemently opposed its existence. The fifth-century
Armenian Catholicos, Hovaness Mandagouni, wrote a
series of articles accusing the theatre of demoralizing the
nation. His articles provide valuable information on the
nature of the theatre, its style and structure: larger
audiences went to the theatres than to the churches;
actors performed regularly in specially built theaters; and
there were daily performances in some theatres.
During the Golden Age of Classical Armenian in the
5th century the Bible was translated into Armenian
(410 A.D.) Great advances in every field followed,
including the theatre. But the advances Armenian
culture came to an abrupt halt in the seventh century
when the Arab invasion slowed all progress in 7th century.
Although during the 11th through 14th centuries, the
Armenian theatre continued to improve and enhance its
dramatic styles in the Armenian-Cilicia area.
In the 18th century, original plays and translations of
European plays were published in Classical
Armenian. They only attracted a secular audience, and
as a result they were seldom performed, but were used in
schools in the study of classical Armenian. Plays were
written by the resident clergy and performed by the
students. The pioneer efforts of the Mekhitarists
provided a significant step in the development of the
Western Armenian Theatre.
Interested in some Birthright
Armenia Paraphernalia?
Interested in a sweatshirt or a cap with the Birthright
Armenia logo?
Simply visit our shop at
http://www.cafepress.com/depihayk and see the
available products. This is a good way to showcase your
pride as alumni.
We are eager to receive new alumni stories, updates and
photos for the Winter 2009-2010 Alumni Newsletter, so
please send your submissions to
[email protected].
Depi Hayk Alumni Newsletter Fall 2009 Edition, www.birthrightarmenia.org
A decline began with the fall of the last independent
Armenian kingdom of Cilicia in 1375. Various theatre
groups scattered all over Asia Minor, going to
autonomous Armenian provinces. Charden, a French
world traveller, in his Les Mimes de l'Orient, gives a
detailed description of a performance he attended at the
Armenian Mime Theatre in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1664. At
that time Armenia was under Persian rule. Chardin's
account reveals that the goussan tradition was still alive
with mime action, accompanied by music, singing and
dancing, similar to opera.
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