Examiner.com
June 5 2009
The cross for Armenians
June 5, 3:06 PM ·
Have you ever seen the cross on top of Mount Davidson? The cross —
somewhat reminds me of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil — is
one of the tallest man-made crosses in the world and the famous
landmark in San Francisco. (The Dirty Harry movie featured a scene
here.)
Mount Davidson is the highest point in San Francisco which is located
near Twin Peaks. What you will find there is the huge cross called
Mount Davidson Cross. It used to belong to the city of San Francisco
but it is now owned by the Council of Armenian-American Organizations
of Northern California. The cross is significant as it serves as a
memorial to the Armenian people who died in the Armenian genocide of
1915.
Due to the periodic diaspora, Armenians are scattered all across the
world. I have never been to Armenia, nor have I ever met a first
generation Armenian. But I have some friends of Armenian descent and
met a lot of Armenian descendants. It is at times easy to identify
them as some of them have typical Armenian family names which end with
-ian, -yan, or -jan, meaning `son of’. (Like the author William
Saroyan.) The famous `Little Armenia’ is in Hollywood but a large
number of Armenians, either full or partial, also reside in San
Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, and San Jose. The population here
gradually increased especially right after the Armenian genocide in
1915.
The Bay Area has a long established Armenian community. There are
Armenian churches, schools, restaurants, grocery stores and many
active organizations. The Armenian film and food festivals are also
held in San Francisco. Royal Market & Bakery on Geary is one of the
authentic Armenian stores you will find in the Bay Area. It sells a
wide variety of imported products from Armenia. The store has the deli
and offers a large selection of bread and dairy products including
cheeses, kefir, pickled fish and seasoned meat for khorovats
(barbeque).
The cross, consequently, means a lot to Armenians and us. According to
the Armenian-American organization, it is also the site of a yearly
prayer service, and the cross will be illuminated twice a year ` on
Easter Day and Armenian Martyr’s day on April 24. If you have never
seen the cross, it is worth the watch.
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