Journal Times Online, WI
June 28 2004
It’s all in the family at the annual Armenian Picnic
By Phyllis Sides
RACINE – It was a family affair at St. Hagop Armenian Apostolic
Church annual Madagh picnic Sunday at H.F. Johnson Park.
The picnic is like a family reunion: Anybody who has a connection to
St. Hagop comes back to Racine for it, picnic chairman Zohrab
Khaligian said.
“People come from all over,” said Khaligian, who has been chairman
about five years. “It’s very enjoyable and rewarding. There are
non-Armenians who have come so many times they are part of the
extended family.”
Agnes Garabedian from Downey, Calif., started coming to the picnic
about 15 years ago after meeting her “cousin,” Lucy Buchaklian.
“I met her on an airplane in 1971,” Garabedian said. “We were going
on a pilgrimage. We became friends and we’ve been cousins ever
since.”
All Armenians are cousins, Buchaklian added: “I told her if she
didn’t come to the picnic I wouldn’t visit her
anymore.”
St. Hagop’s has held their traditional Madagh picnic since 1938. The
traditional meal, bulgur pilaf and beef stew, is cooked over an open
fire pit in the park.
Preparing the traditional meal is a two-day affair. The pit is dug
and the fire is started Saturday evening so cooking can start at
about 5 a.m. Sunday. They have to start early so the food will be
ready by 11 a.m. for the blessing of the meal, said Andy Mikaelian,
one of the cooks.
“I’ve been at the park since 5 to 5,” Mikaelian said. “We use about
800 pounds of beef, 150 pounds of onions, special spices, tomato
sauce, tomato paste and we cook it until it’s ready.
“There is no recipe. It’s just to taste.”
“There were at least two generations of cooks helping prepare the
meal,” Khaligian said. “We want to keep the tradition going. It’s
important to maintain our cultural heritage and national identity.”
The meal is served after the blessing and it is shared with everyone
who attends the picnic. In addition to the Madagh meal, the picnic
features marinated shish kebab and chicken dinners, sarma (stuffed
grape leaves), pastries and other delicacies.
Madagh means offering and the tradition came over from the old
country, Sara Mikaelian said. The tradition dates back to biblical
times to Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his only son.
“It’s a thank you for our bounty,” she said. “We are the only
community in the country that carries on the tradition this way.
“The food is passed out to the congregation and the public. In the
old country it was passed out to orphanages and old folks’ homes.”
The Rev. Arsen Kassabian said the traditional food and the blessing
were symbols of Abraham’s sacrifice and of Christ’s sacrifice.