GCC’s Armenian Students’ Association hosted an Armenian Cultural Day in the quad on Dec. 3. The event featured free food and Red Bull, as well as information about Armenian culture that other members of the GCC community might not know. The event, which was rescheduled from Nov. 26 due to weather, was a great success in showcasing Armenian culture, according to ASA Secretary. 

ASA members volunteered their time and cooked kebab for attendees. The ASA also provided boxes of nazook, a traditional Armenian dessert. As the kebab was being cooked, many people stood in line and enjoyed the Armenian music playing in the background. 

ASA Secretary Alex Kalantaryan, a freshman biology major,  spent a long time planning the event. “ There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t see. For example, finding vendors for our events, volunteers to make posters, and just a lot of organizing,” Kalantaryan said. 

The posters were filled with information on Armenian culture, each focusing on a specific aspect of the culture. Topics like Christianity, literature, and music were being displayed. To dive more in detail, Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion. Some famous Armenian authors include William Saroyan and Hovhannes Tumanyan, who wrote works like The Human Comedy and fairytales for children. Some famous Armenian instruments are the duduk, which is similar to a flute, the kamancha, similar to a banjo, and the dhol, which is a drum mainly used in Armenian parties like weddings or performances. 

Mariangel Kourkounian, a sophomore nursing major, found time in her busy schedule to attend the event. “Being Armenian, I thought the event did a great job of focusing on different parts of my culture that often don’t get shown,” Kourkounian said. “I also thought the ASA did a great job in providing food and entertainment for those who attended the event.” 

After the kebab had finished cooking and everyone was enjoying the food, the ASA introduced club member Natali Davtyan, a sophomore bio major, to perform a traditional Armenian dance with ASA Secretary Alex Kalantaryan. Attendees watched a traditional shalakho dance, which is very popular in the Armenian culture and dance world. 

“Overall, I really think this event was a success. There’s so much about the Armenian culture that has a lot of various aspects, and a lot of what others see is only what is well known. Through the posters, which were made by other ASA members, which displayed Armenian cultural traditions and other information, we wanted to find a way to bring different aspects of our culture to our campus and tell our story,” Kalantaryan said. 

After the performance, many of the students were inspired to dance their own dance, and they all joined together and danced a shoorchbar, a traditional Armenian dance that involves small steps and small jumps. 

Vanya Arakelian can be reached at [email protected].