FESTIVAL OF ARMENIAN CULTURE “SOUND, ARMENIAN ZOURNA” HELD IN KUBAN

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 20 2006

KRASNODAR, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The traditional
Festival of Hamshen Armenians’ Culture “Sound, Armenian Zourna (type
of flute)” was held for the 7th time in Kuban. This year the event was
held on March 19, in the village of Shahumian, Tuapse region, Krasnodar
territory, which was the center of the Armenian Administrative Region
included in the Krasnodar territory up to August 1953. According
to the “Yerkramas” (Territory) newspaper of Armenians of Russia,
Armenian creative collectives and performers from different regions
of Krasnodar territory and Republic of Adigeya took part in the
festival. Numerous spectators that gathered in the square before
the House of Culture, applauded to the collectives of the Lazarev
Center for National Cultures of the town of Sochi: “Dekhtsanik” model
ensemble of Armenian song (Adler), “Arevik” ensemble of Armenian dance
(Upper Beranda), “Voice of Hamshen” folk ensemble (Detlyazhka), “Nairi”
model ensemble of Armenian dance (Lazarevskoye), “Hamshen” ensemble
of Armenian music, song and dance (Lazarevskoye), as well as to the
collectives from another regions of Kuban: “Akhpyur” folk ensemble of
Armenian dance (Haykadzor), “Rodnichok” model-artistic dancing ensemble
(Haykadzor), “Yerazank” folk ensemble of Armenian dance (Proletarski,
Maykop region, Republic of Adigeya), “Fortuna” model choreographical
collective (Jubga, Tuapse region), “Caravan” vocal-intstrumental group
(Jubga, Tuapse region). For the first time an Armenian collective
from the Republic of Abkhazia, “Tsovashunch” vocal ensemble, took
part in the festival. All participants of the Festival of Hamshen
Armenians’ Culture “Sound, Armenian Zourna” were given souvenirs
and diplomas. The festivity organizers, Lazarev Center for National
Cultures and Culture Department of Lazarevsk region, town of Sochi,
expressed willingness to hold the next festival in the Apsheron region,
Krasnodar territory, in 2007. Hamshen Armenians make the majority of
the Armenian population on the sea-coast of Krasnodar territory and
in a number of regions of Kuban and Adigeya. They originate from the
region of Hamshen in Western Armenia (currently in the territory of
Turkey) who moved to Kuban in the mid-19th century and beginning of
the 20th century after the Armenian Genocide in Turkey. According to
experts’ data, up to 250 thousand Hamshen Armenians compactly live
in Kuban, Adigeya and Abkhazia and from 700 thousand to 1.5 million
Islamized Hamshen Armenians live in the territory of Turkey within
the limits of traditional settlement.