New Year, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2004

Now that the New Year has been and gone perhaps it’s time to look at how the Armenian Blogosphere spent the festive season. Unfortunately, most bloggers, including myself, didn’t bother to write much at all, and most didn’t even do that. Full marks, therefore, to Nareg over at Cilicia.com’s Life in Armenia who provided us with a very educational post on how New Year is celebrated in Armenia.

Ahh, new year’s in Armenia… It seems I’m one of the few loggers to still be in the Homeland to ring in 2007. You know, it seems odd, if you think about it, celebrating a “new year” in the dead of winter, that too, in the middle of the night. I’d imagine a nice spring dawn would be more appropriate. Anyway, this is the way it is now, and I suppose it enlivens what would otherwise be a dreary season. At least for the Northern Hemisphere…

Hayastantsis are very much into the night of the 31st of the December, as well as the morning of the 1st of January, followed quickly by the 2nd, 3rd, 4th… There’s plenty of eating and drinking, followed by more eating and drinking at someone else’s place, with a third banquet within the same day not uncommon. Things don’t quiet down until about the 14th or 15th, I’d say. See, we have the 6th of January - Armenian Christmas - and “old” “new” “year” on the 13th. Don’t ask me to explain that one, but there are various theories.

Another round of applause, however, should go to Zarchka at Life Around Me who once again admitted that she’s pretty tired of New Year in Armenia. She also points her readers to the post she made on my site last year that said pretty much the same thing, and in a sense, updates us all on the situation this year.

Funny thing, if not this New Year insanity probably I would never do my first steps and blog anything, as it was the main thing to force me leave all the tiresome New Year preparations at our place and release my complaints and thoughts by jotting them down, which Onnik welcomed at his blog. They say “Anything happens for reason”!

Yet, nothing has changed since last New Year, just with one exception that being superstitious some people probably will not have ham on their tables, as 2007 is a Year of Swine according to the Oriental Horoscope, think less pigs will be slaughtered this year, at least one good part of it (wish every year was pig’s year).

And people are eagerly emptying all the markets and supermarkets though still crying and complaining that they don’t have money, outrageous isn’t it? For who are they torturing themselves that much? I really don’t see any sense.

There was another post over at Cilicia.com, by the way, but it was funny, to be honest. I’m really not having a go, but I found it kind of ironic that after urging Armenians in the Diaspora to spend their Xmas holidays in Yerevan, Arsineh ended up spending hers in Washington and New York. Looks like Der Hova might have stayed around for the holidays, though, even if everyone else left at the earliest possible opportunity.

This winter I noticed retail stores in Yerevan resembling western style shops more and more. Most clothing stores have big sales, up to 70% off. I remember a year ago you would rarely read sale signs advertising more than 7% off. But even with this 70% off, prices are still ridiculous! A Guess store franchise just opened on Northern Avenue. I walked in yesterday to see dress shirts for $150+. I saw a tuque which I liked for about $40. Am I being cheap? Have I gotten used to other things being inexpensive in this country? Bally shoes has a big sale too. A few months ago I saw, and liked, a pair of shoes there for about $600. I’d consider buying them if they were at least 80% off. Dream on.

Well, forgetting that few apart from the most corrupt can afford $600 shoes — and 70 percent sales say something about how much people can afford, or not as the case may be — Nareg got it right when he said that almost every foreigner buggers off as soon as they can. However, one blogger that actually did come to Armenia in order to sort out handing out the post-Genocide New York Life Insurance settlement to relatives here, as well as to deliver humanitarian assistance to families in Lachin, was Ara Manoogian over at Martuni or Bust.

We entered the home of Armen Chumoyan, and engineer by education, a freedom fighter by choice and someone who participated in liberating the village during the war, loosing his best friend at the bridge only a kilometer away from where he lives.

The village did not fall under the “resettlement” program the NKR government had in the 1990’s and of the 60 families who had relocated there, many had liberated the land themselves and what “house” they have, they built with their own resources. Today of the 16 remaining families registered in the village, only 9 families physically stay in the village, the other 7 have temporarily relocated to a neighboring village where there is electricity.

[…]

I told Armen that our plan is to return to Haykazyan on January 6th with Santa and 16 helpers to deliver presents to the children and also bring aid to each family, but before we announce our intentions, I want to visit with a few of the families and get them to tell their story on video unrehearsed and so people can’t say they were paid to say what we want them to say. Armen agreed and took me on a tour of the village while I had the video camera running.

Last word on the festive season, however, goes to Tirami Su who complains about the treatment she and her friends received at the Studio Cafe in Yerevan on New Year’s Day. Everything might have been open in my neighbourhood, but the situation was different in the center. Then again, Armenians usually visit each other in their homes, so that probably explains why shops were open and restaurants and cafes weren’t. Anyway, for those with the money, most dining out happened in many a lavish restaurant the night before.

[…]so on January 1, while outiside I thought I’ll have some tea, since it was freezing cold. So I headed towards Square One, which was closed. So was the French cafe in front of it, Texas, Artbridge, Gusto, Pizza Di Roma. It felt as though the city is dead. Luckily I managed to find the only open place in the center of Yerevan - Studio Cafe. Now I usually like it: they have nice staff, wonderful apple pies and interesting customers. But when I went back there with sis and some friends of hers I felt as though we were not welcomed. “Could you smoke less please? Finish that one cigarette and do not lit another for a time being. This place is very small,” we were told. To start with we were not smoking that much, and then again you are free to make it smoke free cafe if you please, instead of having to tell your customers to limit their smoking. So much for Studio Cafe.

Well, it has to be said, that it’s nicer when there’s places which aren’t cloouded in smoke, but as Tirami Su says, either allow smoking or not. Then again, as the place caters mainly for foreigners and Armenians from the Diaspora, perhaps she shouldn’t be so surprised. I actually like the place in the summer even though Zarchka refuses to meet there precisely because of all the expats living in their own special little world, and probably accounting for where most of USAID’s money really ends up. An exageration, perhaps, but you know what I mean.

Well, maybe it was an interesting time in the Armenian Blogosphere this time round, although I can hardly say it sounded too pleasurable. Perhaps that’s why few Diasporans or Armenians spend any time at all here in the winter. Like I’ve said, “living in the homeland” is great when you’re on a significantly higher than average salary, but even then, only when it’s warm and the cafes are open. Think I’ll get the hell out next year as well as this time of year really is so dull and boring.

Yes, New Year in Armenia gets somewhat monotonous when you’ve experienced it nine times in a row.

New Year, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian / Oneworld Multimedia 2004