YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will participate for the first time in the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C., USA, due in summer.
Participants are currently in the active phase of preparations for the event.
Ethnographer Levon Abrahamyan, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, who is in charge of coordinating the country’s participation in the upcoming US festival, told ARMENPRESS they are doing their best for delivering a top level participation of Armenia.
The Smithsonian Institution is organizing the Folklife Festival for 50 years. In addition to Armenia as a first time participant in the event, Catalonia will also mark its debut in the festival.
“Folklife isn’t an ordinary exhibition festival, it presents in a live style the household life, crafts, cuisine and other aspects of the given country. Various themes and directions are features each year. The main character this year is the master, through whom the crafts, traditions and cuisine will be displayed, by maintaining the tie with the past. The idea is how the crafts have been preserves and passed on to generations,” Abrahamyan said.
The program of Armenia’s participation has the following idea behind it – From Nature To Home.
Pottery, wood craft, carpet weaving and cross-stone art will be presented.
“By the way, all of this will not simply be displayed. The cross-stone artist will show his work during the entire process, and will finish his work on spot. We also plan to have a blessing ceremony of that cross-stone. Blacksmiths will also show their crafts. Carpet weavers will make several types of carpets,” he said.
Syrian-Armenians will display embroidery crafts.
Cuisine is also an important component of Armenia’s participation in the festival. Organizers spare no effort to present the very best of Armenian cuisine at the event.
Visitors will have the chance to see how lavash is being made, and taste the well-known Armenian bread. Pakhlava, cheese, dolma, dried fruits, wine and many other Armenian cuisine specials will be presented.
“The festival will begin June 27 and run through July 8. July 4th is Independence Day in the US, and usually a large number of visitors arrive in Washington. Estimates show that half a million visitors come to the festival on an average basis,” Abrahamyan said, stressing that Armenia’s participation is very important in terms of developing tourism.
The government of Armenia allocated 49 million drams from the reserve fund for the country’s participation in the event.
English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan