PRESS RELEASE
15 January, 2008
Contact: Sophia Blbulyan
(374-10) 547 211, (374-93) 415 485
sophia@deemcommunications.com
www.deemcommunic ations.com
Winter Festivities in Armenia revive holiday outdoor celebrations with a
Winter Festival launched by the first Winter Parade.
Yerevan, Armenia – A myriad of winter activities depicts the resurrection of
the Armenian holiday spirit carried through a series of events within the
scope of the WinterFest 2007.
According to the old calendar, January 14 is the New Year’s Day which was
considered one of the most celebrated traditional holidays. In modern times,
this day marks the end of the winter festivities in Armenia.
December 23, 2007, a first winter parade in Yerevan kicked off the first
ever winter festival of Armenia. This colorful parade highlighted the
WinterFest with its eminent indoor-outdoor winter activities. This festival
was initiated by Deem Communications and was realized with the support of
the Yerevan Municipality and CAPS/USAID Armenia, in collaboration with
Marriott Armenia Hotel Yerevan, Coca-Cola Armenia, SquareOne Restaurant,
Nina Hovnanian Treasures, as well as ATDA.
Along Abovyan Street to Republic Square, bright colored floats, decorated
cars and motorcycles, elegant horse carriages, dance groups, youth groups,
jugglers, and other participants entertained the thousands who visited. A
marching band led the parade into the main Square where attendees were
greeted with the arrival of the most significant character of the season,
Dzmer Pap (Santa Clause). Following the Parade was a holiday concert held
underneath Armenia’s national Christmas tree.
In addition, a series of activities were included in the WinterFest 2007,
such as circus performances and the puppet theater. Given the success of
this event, the director of Deem Communications, Raffi Niziblian, is
optimistic that WinterFest will bring back the customary outdoor
celebrations in Armenia. "Many countries in the world show off their
cultural wealth through such festivals. I believe that we have a unique way
of celebrating our holidays and we should share this heritage with the rest
of the world. This winter festival will become a tradition where foreign
tourists and Armenians alike will enjoy and celebrate," said Mr. Niziblian.
WinterFest will also offer to the tourism clusters a means to make best use
of their entertainment and hospitality services in Yerevan, as well as in
the other key tourist destinations such as Tzaghkadzor, Dillijan, Dzoraget
and Jermuk.
Raffi Niziblian concluded, "Our main objective is to liven up the cold and
dull winter season by instilling the cheerful holiday spirit for both locals
and visitors from other countries, and bolster festive winter tourism in
Armenia. We look forward to WinterFest 2008!"
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