Peace Corps. Armenian Familiarization Course

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CONOMY

The Armenian economy is still volatile.

Armenia’s current spending power is about

$5,000 while actual per-capita income is

about $1,315. The Armenian Currency is

DRAM; rate of 1 USD = 379.12 DRAMS.

Armenian drams

Armenian mines produce cooper, zinc, gold, and lead. The vast majority of energy is produced with

fuel imported from Russia, including gas and nuclear fuel (for its one nuclear power plant). The

main domestic energy source is hydroelectricity.

Armenia has had strong economic growth since 1995. New sectors, such as precious stone

processing and jewelry making, information and communication technology, and even tourism are

beginning to supplement more traditional sectors in the economy, such as agriculture.

Agriculture holds a significant place in Armenia's economy, employing more than a third of its

population. Wine grapes, citrus fruits, wheat, barley, potatoes, and sugar beets are the major food

crops; cotton and tobacco are the foremost industrial crops. Armenia has deposits of copper,

molybdenum, bauxite, zinc, lead, iron, pyrites, manganese, gold, chromite, and mercury, which

provide the basis for a chemical industry. Salts and other minerals have enabled health resorts to

thrive. Food processing, nonferrous metallurgy, microelectronics, and the manufacture of electrical

equipment, machine tools, textiles, and the famous Armenian brandies and wines are also among

the republic's industries. In 1995 the Metzamor nuclear power plant, closed since the 1988

earthquake, was reopened to supply electricity to the energy-starved country.The annual value of

Armenia's imports is much greater than that of its exports. The main trading partners are Iran,

Russia, Turkmenistan, and Georgia.

ELIGION

The predominant religion in Armenia is

Christianity. The roots of the Armenian Church go back to

the 1st century. According to tradition, the Armenian Church was founded by two of Jesus' twelve

apostles (Thaddaeus and Bartholomew) who preached Christianity in Armenia between 40-60 AD.

Because of these two founding

apostles, the official name of the Armenian Church is the Armenian

Apostolic Church

. Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, in 301. Over

94% of Armenian Christians belong to the

Armenian Apostolic Church, a form of Oriental (Non-

Chalcedonian) Orthodoxy, which is a very ritualistic, conservative church, roughly comparable to

the

Coptic and Syriac churches. Armenia also has a population of Catholics (4%), evangelical

Protestants and followers of the Armenian traditional religion. The

Yazidi Kurds, who live in the

western part of the country, practise

Yazidism (Zoroastrian/animist 2%).The Armenian Catholic

Church

is headquartered in Bzoummar, Lebanon.

Echmiadzin Cathedral is the headquarters of the kathlikos, His Holiness Garegin I, the Catholicos and Supreme

the head of the Armenian Apostolic Cherch. Patriarch of All Armenians

ETHNIC GROUPS

Ethnic Armenians make up 97.9% of the population. Yazidi Kurds make up 1.3% and Russians

0.5%. There are smaller communities of Assyrians, Georgians, Greeks and Ukrainians. Most

Azerbaijanis, once a sizeable population, have left their home since Armenia’s independence.

Ninety six percent of the people in the country speak Armenian, while seventy six percent of the

population additionally speaks Russian as a result of the Soviet language policy, and

English is

increasing in popularity. The adult literacy rate in Armenia is ninety nine percent.

ULTURE

As a nation with a long history of civilization, Armenia is famous for art, crafts, music, literature,

dance, and architecture. Beyond that Armenia is a family-oriented culture.

Armenians do not wear national costumes, although both Eastern and Western Armenia had rich

designs of national consumes which today are used during cultural performances, especially folk

dances.

Armenian Costume 18-20 Centuries Armenian Folk Dance

General Customs, Etiquette and Hospitality

Armenians are very hospitable; guests are their central focus and are treated very well in their

homes. For social gatherings Armenian homes will prepare well-seasoned, but not spicy food, and

the hosts will be busy filling guests’ plates and glasses whenever those are empty or low. After a

helping or two it is acceptable to refuse politely or, more simply, just leave a little uneaten food on

the plate. Alcohol, such as cognac, vodka, and red wine are usually served during meals and

gatherings. It is considered rare and unusual for one to go inside an Armenian household and not be

offered coffee pastry, food or even water.

Family

Armenians could be found living in both nuclear and extended families. Although, the average ages

for women and men to marry are 25 and 28-30, correspondingly many Armenians today postpone

marriage with the pursuit of higher education. The average number of children per home is two to

three. Armenian families have been quite stable until recently, and divorce and separation are new

and not completely accepted phenomena in the society. Most marriages last very long. The father of

a family is expected to fulfill the material needs of the household and major economic decisions (e.g.

buying car, banking, etc) and the mother of the family is expected to do the housekeeping (e.g. daily

cooking & cleaning, and raising the children). Buying groceries can be a shared task, or they the

mother might plan and the father might execute. Taking kids to school activities can also be a

shared activity; if the father has a car, he is the person most likely to do that. Otherwise, the mother

may take kids to school. To shop for kids' clothing, be present at parent-teacher meetings, and to

maintain the children's health are also mostly in the woman's domain, although some fathers today

have gotten involved in those responsibilities as well. The last word in the discipline of the children

most likely is the father’s. The kitchen belongs to the woman, or rather she belongs to it despite the

fact that she might also be working outside home. When the husband comes home, the food should

be ready so that the family has dinner together sitting around the table. Eating dinner as a family is

almost a ritual for Armenian families and family members do their best to be at home for dinner.

Weddings

Weddings are a ritual. The process begins when the man and woman make a decision to further

their relationships. The man’s immediate family (parents, grandparents, and often the uncles and

aunts) visit the woman’s house to ask for permission from the woman’s father for the relationship to

continue and hopefully prosper. Once permission is granted by the father, the man gives the woman

a “promise ring” or “engagement ring” to make it official. To celebrate the mutual family

agreement, the woman’s family opens a bottle of Armenian cognac. Most families choose to have a

semi-large engagement party to recognize the fact. The girl’s family is the one who plans, organizes

and pays for the party. There is very little involvement with the man’s family. When the man and

the woman decide that they are ready to marry, the wedding preparation starts.

The wedding day begins at the home of the bride where the groom, relatives, and best man visit the

family. They bring the bride’s dress and gifts to congratulate the bride’s family on the occasion, to

dress the bride and to take the bride and the groom to the church. The gifts are arranged on a platter

which a male relative from the groom’s side carries above his head. The group plays loud music and

starts dancing in front of the building before entering the home. When the bride is dressed, the

groom and the relatives spend some time with the family and then they take the bride o the church

for the wedding ceremony where the priest blesses the marriage. Once the prayer has concluded, the

couple slides wedding bands on each others left hand. After the ceremony, the guests go to a

restaurant or a hall where they celebrate the wedding with music, food and dancing. Relatives give

gifts to the bride and groom, and close friends also come up with gifts. Colleagues usually gather

money and buy one thing for the family. Sometimes they ask what the future family might need.

Armenian Wedding The Bride’s & Grooms Table in a Restaurant

The customary time to wait for the marriage is about one year. Unlike other cultures, the man and

his family pay for the wedding. The wedding planning and organization process usually is done by

the bride and the groom to be.

Food

Armenia grows fresh and tasty fruits (i.e. apricots and peaches, cherries, apples, grapes, figs,

pomegranates, pears, quince, plums, melons, watermelons etc), vegetables, (i.e. squash, eggplants,

tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, potatoes, carrots, peas, beans), herbs and salad

herbs (i.e. green onions, parsley, cilantro, lettuce, spinach etc) and nuts (i.e. walnuts, almonds,

hazelnuts, etc.) The Armenian cuisine uses herbs and spices that include cinnamon, cardamom,

clove, cumin, nutmeg, garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, etc. Below are some common ethnic

dishes that Armenians prepare.

Dolma - can be different kinds: a) spiced meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves (served with yogurt

mixed with grated fresh garlic, b) the same stuffing wrapped with only cabbage leaves, c) the same

stuffing with cabbage leaves and tomatoes, eggplants, apples and quince. Dolma is cooked over a

slow oven with plums.

Kufta - specially prepared strained beef meat stuffed or non-stuffed with softer meat and nuts and

boiled until tender in large balls or lemon shape, served with hot butter or oil if non-stuffed and with

lemon if stuffed.

Khorovats- barbecued or grilled pork that has been marinated and grilled eggplant, potatoes, whole

onions and green, red and hot peppers.

Pilaf (usually steamed rice) can be served with apricots, plums, nuts, raisins, meat sometimes also

with vegetables and so on.

Dolma Kufta Khorovats Pilaf

Fish can be Ishkhan (lake trout native to Armenia), Sig (lake trout imported from Russia), or Karp

(raised in Armenia). Fish is grilled, khorovatz, steamed and prepared in soups.

Armenians are very proud of their bread “lavash” that is baked in a ground oven (sometimes called

“handkerchief bread” in the US). People in some regions also dry the bread and keep it for a period

of time. Lavash is served especially during parties and with khorovats (barbeque). Another thing

that Armenians can make in the ground oven is Gata which is a pastry.

Ishkhan Baking of Lavash Gata

Arts

Armenia is a country of cultures that includes almost everything: architecture, music (folk and

contemporary), literature, art (from Armenian Manuscript miniatures to paintings of current artists,

crafts (pottery, wood and stone), jewelry rugs and carpets, etc.

Architecture

Armenia has been called the “museum under sky.” Armenian architecture dates far back in history.

The country has many sites (e.g. large number of churches, etc.) that are unique in the world and

have been constructed throughout centuries. Armenians pass the stories about these constructions

from generation to generation. Armenian churches of different centuries decorate the landscape and

transfer the cultural information from those past times into Armenia’s modern life.

Churches in Armenia Garni Pagan Temple (1

Century AD) Ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral -

Century

Music

Armenia has rich national and folk music heritage that has been transferred from generation to

generation and has also been documented by musicians.

Names that should be mentioned here are Komitas Vardapet, who collected folk music and cleaned

the Armenian Liturgic Music from non-Armenian influence, Lazar Saryan (who also was the Rector

of the Yerevan State Conservatoire for many years), Alexander Ajemian, Robert Amirkhanyan

( who is currently leading the Armenian Composer’s Union), and others, who remained faithful to

the Armenian music traditions and contributed to the Armenian musical heritage through writing

pieces of different genres.

Komitas Vardapet Lazar Sarian Alexander Adjemian Robert Amirkhanyan

Folk instruments that were played in Armenia include the kanon (dulcimer), dehol (double-

headed hand drum), oud (lute), tar (short-necked lute) and zurna (shawn), duduk. Earlier in

Armenian history, instruments like the kamancha were played by popular, traveling musicians

called ashoughs.

Duduk Saz Tarr Santur

Alongside individual performers, the world class Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra performs

regularly during the year. In addition, there are several chamber ensembles including the National

Chamber Orchestra of Armenia and the Serenade Orchestra. The country plays music for any taste:

Classical, jazz, folk, etc. There are several concert halls in Yerevan that host music-lovers.

Djivan Gasparian, Master of Duduk Armenian Philharmonic

Art

The famous artists of Armenian past and present are recalled together, due to the tradition of always

acknowledging the countries heritage.

Some great names of past artists are: Hovhannes Aivazovsky, who painted the extraordinary beauty

of the sea with much feeling and expressiveness), Martiros Saryan (he set the standard of national

art), Minas Avetissyan (a master of color plays), Grigor Khanjian (Reproduced in the creativity of

the best traditions of Armenian art and endowed with a wide scope of ideographic vision).

Rudolph Khatchatryan (one of the richest portrait painters) continues his thankful mission of

contributing to the Armenian heritage.

Hovhannes Aivazovski Martiros Saryan Minas Avetisyan Rudolph Khatchatryan

The masterpieces of the artists above and many others could be found in the National Art Gallery in

Yerevan which has more than 16,000 works dating to the

Middle Ages, and even stretching to many

European countries. Other museums, the Modern Art Museum, the Children’s Picture Gallery, the

Martiros Saryan Museum and currently emerging private galleries, all add to the rich collection of

Armenian art in the country.

Other than the above stated establishments, an Art Market opens on weekends in the part across the

Opera House, where one can meet the artists and talk about the creative moment beyond buying the

paintings.

Vernisage is another interesting place close to Republic Square where Armenian craft (i.e. pieces of

woodcarved, antiques, find lace, hand-knotted wool carpets, kilims, ornaments and jewelry made of

locally found obsidian, gold, smithery and other things) could be found.

Vernisage Art market Armenian Carpet

Armenian Literature

The first major Armenian literary work is a 5th century translation of the Bible; its language became

the standard of classical Armenian. Armenia then turned to the West for literary inspiration,

producing translations of many religious works (Athanasius, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa,

Gregory Nazianzen, and John Chrysostom). Among secular works are renderings of Aristotle and of

the romance of Alexander. The original writings of the golden age are confined to saints' lives and

histories. The 5th-century history of Movses Khorenatsi (Moses of Khorni) contains practically all

that is known of pre-Christian Armenia, its folklore and epics. Later historians include Thomas

Ardzruni (10th cent.), Matthew of Edessa, who described the Crusades, and Stephanos Orbelian,

who wrote of the Mongol hordes (13th cent.).

The ancient manuscripts, and many other books, are housed by Matenadaran (Old Manuscripts

Institute), which not only preserves them, but is a center of scientific investigations of many

generations of Armenians eager to understand their past and non-Armenians interested in cross-

cultural investigations. A tradition of nationalistic epic poetry is the best-known legend Sasuntsi

Davit (David of Sassoun), symbol of Armenian epic glory and the representation of the Armenian