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The Armenian Students Association of Glendale Community College hosted Armenian Cultural Day in Plaza Vaquero on Thursday with Armenian music, dance, food and speakers, including the Council General of Armenia and the president of the Armenia Fund.
Vartan Achabahian, president of the ASA, hosted the event, which is a tradition at the college.
?The purpose of the event was to truly represent Armenian culture in a way that?s never been done before,? said Achabahian.
The day started at 10 a.m. with displays of Armenian history, art, liturgy, music and literature. There were also Armenian newspapers and magazines on display. There was a sale of Armenian food and pastries and Armenian novelties as well as traditional books.
At 1 p.m., students were greeted with an Armenian ?Hello? from Armenia Fund President Valery Mkrtoumian, who encouraged students everywhere to continue to prosper and support their nation.
Immediately afterward the the Council General of Armenia offered a few words of praise to the campus and wished students much academic success.
?Our Armenian society should not belong to Armenians only,? he said. ?We don?t isolate ourselves but enrich the society around us.?
With all the formalities taken care of, singer Gagik Badalian performed traditional Armenian songs for the campus. Afterward, the poem ?We Are Few, But we are Armenians,? by a famous Armenian writer, Baruyr Sevag, translated from Armenian was then recited by Lussia Khamberian.
She was followed by dancers from Arshak Dikranian Armenian School, who performed a traditional dance number in Armenian costume.
The plaza was open for everyone to join in dancing to the festive music that played.
The student association is currently under new leadership.
The policy of the association is to strive to ?cultivate and promote an appreciation and understanding of Armenian history, heritage, culture and contemporary issues by organizing social, cultural, and educational activities.?
The association has more than 100 members. Students interested in joining can attend meetings held in LB 200 Tuesdays at 1 p.m.