ARMENIAN FESTIVAL: NOT YOUR TYPICAL AFFAIR
By Liana Aghajanian
ianyan magazine
May 6 2010
For the past nine years, Glendale, Calif. has been home to an Armenian
Festival organized by the Armenian Relief Society’s (ARS) Western
chapter. While it has normally been your standard Armenian affair,
full of food, dance and live music – the ingredients necessary for
an successful Armenian event, it looks like it has been involved
to become something much more than an excuse for Armenians to get
together and party.
You might be surprised to find, that the ambitious women of ARS
are doing what they can to make this a festival for more than just
Armenians – and by the looks of how things went last weekend, they
succeeded.
Yes, it wasn’t just Armenian faces in the crowd who got to visit a
string cheese demonstration, few artifacts from Kharpert and even
watch a skilled rug maker, make, well, a rug. In came Los Angeles
residents from as far as Newport and Signal Hill to discover what this
"Armenian-ness" was all about.
In addition to the usual flare, there were also a lot of eccentricities
to appreciate. Take for example, Mania Badmagrian’s amazing Brazilian
embroidery and needlework. You see that embroidered chair? She made
them herself. It took her 10 years. She said that she uses this
handcraft as her therapy, to escape from the stress of every day life.
You can read more about the event (written by yours truly) in
the Glendale News-Press here. It contains a few great quotes from
non-Armenians who are fascinated with the culture. What are Armenian
festivals (if any) like where you live?