Ooof es nor tarin el…!!!
Central Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia
By Zarchka
This is an expression that I can hardly translate, but if I could it would sound something like “New Year on top of all our problems.” In order to clarify this, I must explain that Armenians say “ooof” when they complain about something or if there’s a tiresome problem which is difficult to solve. One often, if not always, hears this sentence uttered by nearly all the citizens of Armenia, especially by women as men like to pretend that it doesn’t bother them at all. Why does New Year, which is so welcomed in Europe, the US and other countries, arouse so much discontent on the part of Armenians?
Let’s not hold back, and let’s speak openly. Armenia is not a rich country and people that can hardly make ends meet are more numerous than those who don’t lift a finger but still manage to make money. Yes, right, Armenia is a country of extremes, especially when foreigners call at an Armenian house only to be astonished by the amount of food presented to them. They might even think that Armenia only pretends to be in transition or a country of poverty because the poor in other countries cannot afford to lay a table with enough food to last for 10 days. On average, the total cost of such a table will be $300 as prices in the markets and shops are raised at this time of year.
In reality, Armenians like to show off.
Armenians work hard throughout the year, gather money and then waste it in two or three days on food for the New Year. This table is laid for relatives, friends and neighbors who visit to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and more importantly, to check your preparation, estimate it and compare with theirs. It is therefore important to consider whether you have ham, dolma, kyufta, cold cuts, Kiev chops, appetizers, cheese or a fish assortment, fruit, candies, and cakes on your table. But all of this is restricted for small children who can find joy in eating sweets, but hear such sentences like “This is for guests.”
And there are, of course, “glutton” guests, who just pig out when confronted with such a splendid opportunity to eat at the expense of others. There are also “waster” guests who, when you fill their glasses with wine and cola up to the brim and put some salad and slices of ham on their plates, manage to just sip and snatch as they have a lot of other places to call by, leaving you no option but to throw their leftovers into the trash. And sometimes it even pisses you off when such unpleasant guests overstay their welcome.. Maybe the only consolation for eating so much is that Lent follows New Year and you can fast and all impurities will leave your system. Anyway, we are very hospitable!!
Okay, let alone the food and money problems, what about the time and effort you waste on preparing all of this? Whenever there’s a guest, and you don’t know when they’ll visit as there is no way of saying it beforehand, you should hurry to the kitchen, boil and fry some dishes and serve them. Then you should take away the dirty plates, wash and get them prepared for the next guests. if all this preparation was for just a day and not 10, I could stand it!! What boorishness!! Besides this is done by all means to the detriment of your health.
And one more thing. Among this we forget or don’t consider it to present each others with gifts, which is the essence of New Year — great attention that can be made through small material things. The older generation always blame us young people for taking on foreign traditions. Now tell me, please, why shouldn’t we take the easiest way for celebrating New Year and diverting ourselves, or maybe we are used to undergoing torture and creating problems.
Though some Armenian families accept that they’d better spend that money on buying some necessary things for family members or their home, they still continue to meet New Year in the traditional way, and by the end of January they find themselves awfully exhausted, fed up with everything and in deep water financially. What sacrifice is this? Don’t you think that it’s high time that Armenians call themselves to order? After all, only those who can afford to pay $30-50 per person can gather at an ordinary restaurant and enjoy themselves. And this fact makes us ponder who is richer.
Taking into consideration what is mentioned above, it should be said in conclusion that it will take many long years for Armenians to understand that there’s an easier way of living and that they are also allowed to live to their hearts content. On the other hand, it is wonderful that they don’t go into a tailspin and continue rolling our national Dolma, hoping that this coming year promises to be much better than the previous one.
Anyway, I wish you all a Happy New Year!!
“Tox, vor galiq nor tarin verj ta hayi caverin…”
Central Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia
Great post, Zarchka! I am looking forward to reading more!
I have a friend who is a shopkeeper in a small town and he told me that in the days leading up to New Year it is so busy. But then, after New Year it is quiet in his shop until the end of March, because people have no money left to spend.
I always have a double feeling about the Armenian way of celebrating New Year. On the one hand I really enjoy some of those get-togethers with friends and I have some really good memories of New Year’s celebrations in Armenia. But on the other I know how much of a strain it is on people’s finances and on the women spending days in the kitchen. I feel sorry about that. And after a while the food and the drinks just get too much! And then there are the people who are offended when you don’t show up.
Every year people are complaining about New Year, but every year they keep on preparing the huge tables with food. Because that’s the way it is done and because everybody else does it like that. There should be a way to opt out for those who don’t want to go through the hassle or who simply can’t afford it!
Comment by Myrthe — December 26, 2005 @ 8:22 am
Great post Zarochka! I used to feel exactly the same way, when I was living in Armenia. I agree that most of the people don’t have means to celebrate New Year the way they are trying to celebrate and feel pressured to keep up with others. However, after living several years abroad, I look at things from completely different perspective.
Here are the things that I like and miss about the Armenian New Year celebrations:
1) All the sincere hugs and kisses and best wishes that you get from your family, extended family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. You can get those hugs everywhere, the difference is the sheer amount and the frequency you are being exposed to them It is not just mere gift giving/opening ceremony:-) “Jigyarov” hugs and smiles are more preferable than the FedEx-ed gifts and electronic greetings from remote places and countries. During New Year celebtrations in Armenia you get such a huge dose of positive energy that it keeps you going for the rest of the year.
2) The shopping excitement and the cooking chaos (accompanied with women’s whining) that lead to the mid-night kickoff (more preferred than seeing people sitting in their offices and treating the Dec. 31 as another routine day of the year).
5) The cheesy TV programming that creates some kind of holiday atmosphere:-)
3) Parties and get-togethers that last about two weeks. Why prepare for New Year celebrations for two months and end it in one night with a dinner? You are just warming up… how can you stop it on Jan 1?:-)
4) The laid-back attitude that’s everywhere in the first t two weeks of the New Year. Hey, it is a New Year, let’s take it easy:-)
5) Holiday celebrations that has nothing to do with any religion. It is built around New Year and you don’t have to think what the most politically correct greeting would be for this or that person—Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, etc.?
Finally, the New Year is perhaps the only Armenian holiday that everybody tries to celebrate, to party and have some good time regardless of all the hardships and problems that people face on a daily basis in Armenia. Since we are celebrating it anyway, we might as well try to have as much fun as possible.
Happy New Year!
Comment by Nanul — December 26, 2005 @ 8:54 pm
Abres, Zarchka.
You made Global Voices Daily Roundup:
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/globalvoices/2005/12/26/armenia-ooof
I hope this encourages you to write more from time to time, and for others to join you.
Thanks.
Comment by Onnik — December 27, 2005 @ 5:36 am
I’m very thankful Nanul to you for telling your opinions , that is of great importance for me. Just I wanted to describe the real situation not mentioning the emotional side of Armenian New Year. Right you are, this is another opportunity to meet relatives, friends and the people you happen to meet seldom because of lack of time or busyness. I cannot deny it. Though this is also an occasion to behave in an affected manner and by visiting your boss let him tick off that you have great respect regarding his person.
I’m not a pessimist at all, but I have a realistic stand point as well. I want to point out the disadvantages of celebrating New Year in such a way. Of course advantages are dime a dozen, among them those “jigyarov” hugs that one can’t see in other countries. That’s just great when you feel so much warm. We don’t need counting them, we can feel it. But when money is played out and earning of it is in question we can forget about all the joyous moments..
Now you made me hum and haw, probably I had to write my optimistic views.. Which one would be more consulting? … but nay..!! We must keep what we have, but aspire for the better and not let it sit there as a stone. It has to be made like bread, remade all the time, made new.
Comment by Zarchka — December 27, 2005 @ 10:10 pm
Reading all the opinions mantioned above i’d like to share my point of view too. First what i’d like to say it’s that remember always that this is Armenia, maybe it was said about this 1000 times, but i prefer to specify again: Armenia is an old country that has survived due to its hard working , talented people and traditions coming from the ancient times. What is interesting why people keep on seeing Armenia in a different way, because every country on this planet is an unic and beautiful by its people and their lifestyle.
Everything written above coresspondes to the reality, but Armenia is what it is, what can we do? Now it’s an unic nation , really not very developed from the financial aspect, but it’s developing , and here we shouldn’t forget that being a sovereign country for only 14 years Armenia can’t be on a level with Europe and USA. As russians say ” Moscow wasn’t built in one day”, so Armenia also can’t be so developed and rich country in such a short period.Let’s be tolerant towards our country, because you like homeland not because it’s a superpower, but because it’s yours. Besides let’s not to forget that the East is different from the Europe and US. Just imagine that the whole world is the same , that they celebrate the holidays in a same way, so it would be very boring and uninteresting , in fact there would be nothing to learn and talk about.
With all this i want to ask you not to change the lifestyle of the whole nation, but understand it in its unic way, try to differenciate the East from the Europe , cause they are different from each other by their cultures and people.Armenia is more eastern country than western, and its traditions are eastern , so try to understand and love it.
Happy New Year Armenia!
Comment by Anna — December 30, 2005 @ 8:23 am
Thank you Anna for your opinions. I agree with your mentioning that Armenia is a unique country in itself, which is expressed in our traditions and customs. I am the great follower of most of that traditions, which Europe, morover America must envy for not having. Those traditions lead us throughout the years , and I dare to say, they kept us Armenians. I am a great patriot, don’t even doubt about it. Furthermore my interests regarding East are more than those regarding West.
Here I didn’t mean blind following of Europe or so. May be I am repeated but I wanted to finger out the problems which people face while celebrating New Year when they are in dry dock. There’s also a good Armenian saying which we can follow as well- «Vermakid gyora votqerd dzgir». So why to make our life harder? Easy way of living-this is what we can take from Europeans. I don’t mean changing of the tradition and what is more I am against it in a way. Just we can be progressive and not to stаmp in the place. I love my nation, I love my country, that is why its future bothers me.
Comment by Zarchka — December 30, 2005 @ 9:27 pm
Finally, someone put it out there and spelled it out clearly about how insane we tend to get with out New Years preparations. I applaud to this. Maybe the number of the exhausted has increased, or perhaps more ppl have run into this post, but it seems that holidays this year are being taken easier… lets hope that some day there will be an end to a 10 day marathon dolma eating, pastry stuffing, vodka drinking insanity
Comment by nika — January 4, 2006 @ 10:09 pm