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Handmade Works of Armenian Craftsmen at the Spittelberg Christmas Market

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Armenia is participating in the Spittelberg Christmas Market in Vienna with a separate pavilion.
Until December 23, the Armenian pavilion will display the handmade works of about 40 masters: samples of woodwork, embroidery, felting, pottery, doll making, and souvenirs.
The Museum of Folk Arts, which has been engaged in the preservation and popularization of intangible cultural heritage for many years, participated in the organization of the pavilion. The Museum has extensive experience in ensuring the representation of the country on various international platforms. Back in 2023, Armenia participated for the first time in the Strasbourg Christmas Market, widely known in Europe, presenting the handmade works of Armenian masters.
The program is implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, jointly with the Yerevan Municipality, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, in cooperation with the Cultural Development Foundation, the Museum of Folk Arts and the Fastex Company.
The aim is to promote Armenia’s cultural heritage and to increase the country’s visibility.
The Spittelberg Christmas Market in the Austrian capital of Vienna has been held since the 1970s in one of the historic districts of Vienna. It is one of the most famous Christmas markets in Vienna, attracting thousands of visitors every year. The market takes place on the pedestrian streets of Spittelberggasse, Gutenberggasse and Schrankgasse in the Spittelberg district of Vienna, which are distinguished by their beautiful architecture and festive atmosphere.

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The 6th Conference on Epic Studies

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In total, more than 100 researchers from Armenia, the USA, the Russian Federation, India, Iran, Georgia, Abkhazia, Germany, France, Great Britain, Holland, Serbia, as well as from the autonomous republics of North Ossetia-Alania, Chechnya, Adygea, Dagestan, Kalmykia, and Udmurtia participated in the six international epic conferences held in Armenia.
The 1st International Epic Conference was held in Tsakhkadzor from November 4 to 6, 2003. The conference was called “The Armenian “Sasna Tsrer” Epic and the World Epic Heritage”, and was organized by the joint initiative of two institutes of the NAS of the Republic of Armenia: the Institute of Literature named after M. Abeghyan and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, as well as with the assistance of the National Commission of Armenia for UNESCO.
The second conference was held 3 years later, on June 23-24, 2006 in Tsaghkadzor and Talin, with a slightly changed title: “The Armenian Folk Epic and the World Epic Heritage”, and this time with the support of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, but again at the initiative of the same institutes.
The 3rd Conference on Epic Studies was organized by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the RA National Academy of Sciences and the Research Center for Armenian Literature of the Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University, and was held in Yerevan from November 12 to 14, 2009, under the title “The Armenian Folk Epic and the World Epic Heritage”.
The 4th Conference on Epic Studies was held again in Tsaghkadzor in 2012, оctober 8-10, this time only at the initiative of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, but like the previous three conferences, mainly through the efforts of Professor Azat Yeghiazaryan. The conference had a special thematic focus – it was dedicated to the epics of the Armenian and Caucasian peoples and the connections between them.
The 5th Conference was held from October 11 to 13, 2017 at the Slavonic University, the organizers were the Armenian-Russian (Slavonic) University, the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the NAS of the Republic of Armenia and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
After a seven-year break, the 6th International Conference took place, this time under the title “Epic, Identity and Culture”, at the initiative of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography and with the support of the All-Armenian Fund for Armenological Studies. The conference was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first known story of the epic, “David of Sasun or the Door of Mher”, which in fact marked the one and a half century anniversary of the scientific study of “Sasna Tsrer”.

«Ոչ նյութական մշակութային ժառանգությունը և թանգարանները».jpg

“Intangible Cultural Heritage and Museums”

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«Ոչ նյութական մշակութային ժառանգությունը և թանգարանները».jpg

From September 12 to 14, a three-day training course on “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Museums” was held, organized by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia in cooperation with the Tehran Center for Regional Studies on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Western and Central Asia under the auspices of UNESCO.

Staff from various Armenian museums participated in the training, gaining new insights into the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, particularly with the involvement of local communities to maintain living heritage within museum environments. The course offered methodological guidance for professionals on the preservation, appreciation, transmission, and promotion of intangible cultural heritage in museums.

The course was opened with welcoming remarks from Astghik Marabyan, Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia, Atousa Momeni, Director General of the Tehran Center, and Janet Blake, UNESCO international consultant and course trainer.

The training took place at the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Folk Arts Museum and the Yeghegnadzor Regional Museum, conducted by UNESCO experts Janet Blake and Joanna Orr. The course also included a virtual presentation by Rustam Muzaffarov, Deputy Chairman of the National Commission on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Kazakhstan, who shared Kazakhstan’s experience in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in museums. Participants also learned about research outcomes from Lucimara Letelier, Deputy Director of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), based on her research in Brazil, with footage prepared specifically for the course. Additionally, there were workshops on carpet weaving and gata baking.

It is worth noting that Armenia, in collaboration with UNESCO’s Tehran Center, organized two international courses in 2017 and 2019 focused on preserving intangible cultural heritage within communities and preparing international applications. This current training represented another significant initiative within this ongoing cooperation aimed at furthering the field.

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Opening of the Second International Crafts Festival

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RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan took part in the opening of the second International Crafts Festival in Dilijan, which was held by the Folk Arts Museum after Hovhannes Sharambeyan on July 20-21 with the support of the Ministry.

The minister got acquainted with the handicrafts made by Armenian and international masters. Welcoming the participants and guests of the festival, Zhanna Andreasyan emphasized that folk crafts and art are important values of our identity and culture, the preservation and development of which is an issue of the day.

” I am sure that with the help of such festivals, we can make visible folk crafts, which are an integral part of our culture, and through which we can see an important layer of both values and work. It’s also about reinventing our traditions, which is also very important. Handicrafts are first of all work, and we encourage work, education and importance for folk crafts to continue. Moreover, in the modern world, they take interesting forms, becoming truly a work of art” said Zhanna Andreasyan and thanked all the masters participating in the festival for their cooperation and invaluable work.

Zhanna Andreasyan informed that the next Crafts Festival will be held this fall in Vayots Dzor region. The minister happily stated that the participation of international masters in the festival held in our country is gradually increasing. In particular, representatives from Serbia, Bulgaria, Iran, Georgia and other countries are participating in the festival this year.

Zhanna Andreasyan also thanked the administration of the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Arts for the important activity and emphasized the importance of the early reopening of the museum’s Dilijan branch. As part of the visit to Dilijan, Minister Zhanna Andreasyan also visited the Dilijan branch of the museum, where renovation works are being carried out with state funding. Zhanna Andreasyan got acquainted with the progress of the works, which are in the final stage.

Lusine Toroyan, director of Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Arts, expressed her hope that the International Crafts Festival will become a popular event for artists from the region as well as from all over the world.

Within the framework of the festival, various samples of crafts and arts were presented in the city park of Dilijan: embroidery, unique works made of wood and metal, carpets, jewelry, dolls, pottery, etc.

About 40 craftsmen from Armenia and abroad participated in the festival, displaying their handicrafts. Zhanna Andreasyan also emphasized the participation of Gyumri blacksmiths in the festival, taking into account the fact that Gyumri’s blacksmithing tradition was included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The first International Crafts Festival was held in 2022 in Gyumri.

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Blacksmithing master classes in Lebanon

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May 11-23, on the initiative of Haykazyan University and with the participation of the Museum of Folk Arts, 15 Armenian schools in Lebanon (Beirut, Antilias, Anchar) held master classes in Armenian blacksmithing.
The program was held with the participation of Gayane Aslanyan, Deputy Director of Museum Development, and Gyumri blacksmith Hovhannes Mnoyan.
For the 3rd year, the Museum of Folk Arts has been conducting folk crafts master classes for the students of the Armenian schools of Beirut, at the invitation of Haykazian University of Beirut, represented by Andranik Dakesyan, director of the University’s Armenian Diaspora Study Center.
The master classes, implemented in cooperation between the Museum of Folk Arts and Haykazian University of Beirut, are held within the museum’s “Identity Lab” school.
Let’s remind that “Tradition of blacksmithing in Gyumri” was registered in the list of intangible cultural heritage of UNESCO in 2023.

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“The Birth of Crafts”: animation films

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Supported by the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, the presentation of the program “The Birth of Crafts” was held at Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Art.
ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan and Deputy Minister Alfred Kocharyan attended the event.
As part of the project, 6 short animation films were created, which depict the crafts used in Armenia from ancient times to the present day: rug and carpet weaving, embroidery and lace making, felting, pottery, blacksmithing, and woodworking.
ESCS Minister Zhanna Andreasyan thanked the participating structures, groups and individuals for the outstanding effort: “Work is successful when a healthy creative environment is provided in which everyone is concerned about a good outcome. The result of this project requires the field to remain consistently in the spotlight, disseminating knowledge about folk art on both international platforms and among the general public. The program can also serve as an outstanding educational resource for schools. This will enhance the visibility and comprehension of textbook knowledge for our children. I would like to express my special gratitude to our folk artists, whose work we must make visible. I am glad that thanks to the successful collaboration with the museum, their work is gaining value and significance.”
Zhanna Andreasyan emphasized that the Ministry is willing to promote concepts meant to disseminate and popularize the national.
The film series is dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and is represented under the UNESCO logo.
Specialists of the “Invisible Friends” animation studio from different countries worked on creating bilingual films in Armenian and English: Armenia, Russia, Georgia, Israel, and France.
When producing the visual content for the films, both the collections of Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Art and the History Museum of Armenia, along with the personal archives of individual masters were used.
As part of the event, the ceremony of cutting a carpet of the Khndzoresk type dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the Museum was also held. It was weaved by Margarita Khachyan, forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh, who has been working at the Museum of Folk Art since 2023. The newly created museum choir “Manel” also performed at the event.
Accompanied by Museum Director Lusine Toroyan, Minister Zhanna Andreasyan toured the museum and got acquainted with the main exhibits, temporary exhibitions and educational programs.

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Musical instrument “Kanun”

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It has been known in Armenian culture since the Middle Ages. There are evidences of its prototypes in the works of Hovhannes Draskhanakerts (10th century) and Hakob Ghrimets, Tamburi Harutyun (18th century), in medieval miniatures, as well as tombstones from the 16th-18th centuries. Both solo musicians and orchestras of brass, string and floor instruments are depicted here. Art critic Garegin Levonyan, canonist composer Khachatur Avetisyan and others referred to the canon. It was played by the troupes, sazandar ensembles and folk instrument orchestras.
Kanon belongs to the family of multi-stringed, reedless, and smith instruments. The body of the theater is like a table-shaped, flat box, the left side of which has an oblique cut, and the right side has a vertical cut. 2/3 ofsurface is made of wood, and 1/3 is made of film. There are three resonant sound holes on the wooden part of the deka. The wires are stretched across the entire surface of the deck in a horizontal position, pass over the wooden cross extending from top to bottom of the membrane and are tied to the vertical side of the right side. On the left side of the table-shaped body, the ears for pulling the wires and the metal knobs for adjusting the volume are fixed. It has a volume of three and a half octaves. The tense is diatonic. It is tuned with a metal key. Each sound is produced by a three-stringed bundle. They play in a sitting position, placing on their knees, using thimbles and sticks attached to their index fingers. The kanun has wide technical and performance capabilities, thanks to which folk, classical and modern melodies of various genres and complexity can be played. Kanun is a solo and ensemble instrument. The tremolo, chords, arpeggios and glissando sound unique when performed by Kanun. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was mostly played by men in Armenia, and in our times, mostly by women. Many examples are stored in the National Museum of Armenian Ethnography and the History of the Liberation Struggle, and the Yeghishe Charents Literature and Art Museum.
The tradition of making and performing the kanun has gradually developed in Armenia and has grown from a folk professional to a professional art. There are kanun classes in all music schools and educational institutions of the country, in Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and at the Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Kh. Abovyan. Apart from folk songs and music, nowadays Armenian composers create special plays and concerts for the kanun. The composer Khachatur Avetisyan was the founder of the kanun performance school in Soviet Armenia. He transformed and developed the structural, performance and teaching traditions of the rule. Thanks to the composer and his students, the kanun performance school formed in Eastern Armenia significantly differed from the traditions spread in the Eastern countries. Today’s instrument-making masters (Hakob Yeritsyan, Shahen Yeritsyan, Albert Zakaryan and others) also created updated and improved versions of the large, medium and small-sized instruments.

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Barekendan

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Barekendan (Armenian Carnival) is a folk holiday that is movable due to Easter. The duration is two weeks. The second week is called Bun Barekendan. The holiday is characterized by communal song and dance, feasts, games and entertainment, masked performances, turning upside down of traditional regulated household customs (including strict monastic customs – the ritual of Abeghatogh), diverse and delicious food, etc. Being mobile, the holiday took place in February or early March and was associated with the arrival of spring. The amusements had the advice of cheerfully welcoming the awakening nature, and people wished each other a good life. The performances were carnival-like, with masks, the roles were imitations of real life and real people. The performances are grouped around themes representing domestic, historical, ethno-cultural, love and value systems.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Barekendan was one of the most popular Armenian holidays, which was accompanied by masked performances, games, and dances. It was discontinued at the beginning of the 20th century, had a lot in common with the masquerades of European and Slavic peoples. The crazy speed of the economic, political, social and cultural life of that period, the new cultural, aesthetic and social demands of the people, the accessibility of the media field, certainly affect the changes in the course, form and content of the holiday, which is experiencing new developments both in terms of revival and scope and in the sense of new manifestations (see H. Kharatyan-Arakelyan, Armenian folk holidays, Yerevan, 2005, p. 76-95).

The carnival holiday can have a positive effect on the relationships of communities, different groups of society, individuals, friendship, rapprochement, and the formation of respect.

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Tradition of blacksmithing in Gyumri

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Inscribed in 2023 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Blacksmithing, or the creation and repair of iron objects, has played a central role in the local identity and cultural characteristics of the city of Gyumri, Armenia for centuries. Although the practice nearly disappeared in Armenia in the mid-twentieth century, it has survived in Gyumri, where inhabitants continue to preserve existing items – such as window lattices, fences, gates, doors, candlesticks and chandeliers – made by old masters and to forge and use the iron products in their daily life. Current blacksmiths, some of which are fifth- or sixth-generation masters, play an active role in safeguarding and transmitting the tradition of urban blacksmithing as well as its history, traditional skills and knowledge. They typically transmit the practice informally within their families, passing on the skills and styles to their children and grandchildren. In addition, blacksmithing is also transmitted formally through community museums and in two specialized educational institutions: the Gyumri Fine Arts Academy and the Gyumri Craftsmanship College N 1. A key part of the city of Gyumri’s architectural identity, blacksmithing can be seen both in the interior and exterior of private and public buildings and is associated with the values of diligence, honesty, fair work and mutual respect.

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“Tarehats” – Traditional Armenian New Year Bread

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Tarehats is widespread in individual families, especially among Eastern Armenians.
The first mentions were found in the second half of the 19th century (E. Shahaziz, E. Lalayan, A. Aharonyan, Kajberuni).
It is an integral element of the folk-festive, symbolic complex. Knowledge and training skills are inherited. It is round or oval with a diameter of approximately 30-40 cm. In a number of regions of Armenia it was known under other names: krken, krkeni, dovlat krkeni, mijink, etc. The bread is cut on New Year’s Eve and distributed to members of the house. Decorations are symbolically associated with the ideas of cosmogenesis, creation and generation, etc. A “mijink” – a bean, a pea, a small grain or a coin – was placed in the Tarehats in order to predict the luck of the lucky person for the year. Tarehats was slaughtered according
to the number of all members of the household. In other places it was sometimes divided into 12 parts according to the number of months.