IMMERSED IN THEIR CULTURE
By Zain Shauk

Glendale News Press
April 6 2009
CA

Students from 12 college groups organized Armenian festival at
university.

BURBANK — Thousands packed the Woodbury University quad Sunday for
an Armenian cultural festival that featured song, dance and Middle
Eastern food.

Teen dance groups wore traditional costumes while performing a set
of routines that left older visitors peering over the shoulders of
onlookers who crowded around a dance floor to watch with pride.

Visitors browsed vendor booths from local businesses, ate kabobs, ice
cream and cotton candy, and mostly spent time chatting with family,
friends and strangers while listening to Armenian hits echo through
the outdoor area.

The gathering was a celebration of culture that was organized by
college students and drew visitors from across Southern California,
said event organizer Arsen Dzhanikyan.

"Enjoying one’s culture and celebrating one’s identity is a must,"
said Dzhanikyan, who is a senior at Woodbury and president of the
university’s Armenian Students’ Assn.

The event was a collaboration of Armenian student groups from 12
colleges and universities throughout Southern California, including
USC, UCLA, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Los Angeles and Glendale
Community College.

The group’s efforts drew an estimated crowd of at least 4,000 and
were crucial in creating a sense of community and identity through a
cultural celebration, said Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Western
Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.

"Culture is a gift from God," Derderian said, stressing the importance
of holding events to celebrate shared traditions.

Sunday’s event was the second annual festival at Woodbury, which
has proven to be a central location for the Armenian community, with
large populations residing in Glendale and Burbank, organizers said.

Although the afternoon dance performances were some of the biggest
visual attractions, visitors mostly enjoyed the event because they had
a chance to spend a day immersed in a cultural celebration, they said.

"Armenian culture is kind of a deep and rich culture," said Burbank
resident Alice Babakhaian, who was looking over the shoulder of
another visitor to catch a glimpse of a group of girls dancing in
shiny green and red gowns.

Babakhaian had performed the dance growing up, but was content to
watch a new generation enjoying the same traditions Sunday.

"It is important because the young generation, they get more together
and they can talk and they can share these things," she said.

Fillmore resident James Baron, a Jew, made the trip to Woodbury with
his Armenian wife to share in the festivities.

"I think every culture should not just celebrate, but teach their
culture," Baron said.

The community gathering, weeks in advance of Armenian Genocide
remembrance events on April 24, was meant to being people together,
outside of activities focused on the mass killings, organizers said.

"It doesn’t have to be something tragic to get everybody together,"
said Vazgen Keshishyan, who had helped organize food sales for
the event.