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ARMENIAN

READING BOOKLET

PIMSLEUR

SIMON & SCHUSTERS


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Graphic Design: Maia Kennedy

Eastern ArmenianandRecorded Program 1996, 2006 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Western ArmenianandRecorded Program 1997, 2006 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Reading Booklet 2007 Simon & Schuster, Inc.Pimsleur is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio,a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Mfg. in USA.

All rights reserved.

Travelers should always check with theirnation's State Department for currentadvisories on local conditions beforetraveling abroad.


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VOICES

English-Speaking Instructor. . . . . . . . . Ray Brown

Eastern Armenian Speakers

Female Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anoush Pashaian

Male Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Artur Veranyan

Western Armenian Speakers

Female Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annie Chekijian

Male Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Berj Chekijian

COURSEWRITERS

Dr. Vatche Ghazarian Christopher J. Gainty

EDITORS

Dr. Ulrike S. Rettig Beverly D. Heinle

EXECUTIVEPRODUCER

Beverly D. Heinle

DIRECTOR

Christopher Best

NOTES

Dr. Vatche Ghazarian Barbara Ghazarian

Simon & Schuster Studios, Concord, MA

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


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iv

Notes

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The Armenian Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Asking a Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Armenian Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6The Armenian Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The Land and Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Greetings and Forms of Address . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Socializing - The Armenian Character . . . . . . . . 22

Dress Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Armenian Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The sections on Religion and Cuisine werecontributed by Barbara Ghazarian, author of

Descendants of Noah: Christian Stories from theArmenian Heart and Simply Armenian: NaturallyHealthy Ethnic Cooking Made Easy.


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Unit Two

Introduction

Pimsleurs Eastern Armenian and WesternArmenian Compact Programs each contain tenunits on five CDs. These ten 30-minute sessionsprovide an introduction to the language, and makeit possible to gain sufficient spoken-languageproficiency to be able to have basic, but essentialcommunication with local speakers.

These programs provide the beginning languagestrategies that will allow you to greet nativespeakers, to make your needs known, and to satisfyyour basic requirements when traveling in Armenia,or in the many other countries where Armenianis spoken.

For more information, call

1-800-831-5497 or visit us

at www.Pimsleur.com


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ARMENIAN

Armenian, or hayeren, is the national languageof the Armenian people and ranks as one of theoldest languages of the world.

Armenian represents an independent branch

of the Indo-European family of languages and iscomprised of two dialectsEastern and WesternArmenian. Of these, Eastern Armenian is theofficial language of the Republic of Armenia. It isalso spoken by Armenians living in Iran, Russia,Georgia, and the former Soviet republics. Western

Armenian is the daily language of Armenians whoclaim origin in the region known as Eastern Anatolia,located in current-day Turkey. It is spoken by themajority of Armenians living throughout the MiddleEast, North and South America, Europe, Africa,and Australia, collectively called the Armenian

Diaspora.Historically, both dialects arose from Classical

Armenian or Grabar. Grabar survives as theliturgical language used in Armenian churches theworld over.

Although words in both dialects are spelled

more or less the same, phonologically EasternArmenian observes the nuances of all the ClassicalArmenian consonants. This is not the case withWestern Armenian, which combines certain pairs ofconsonants and pronounces them as if they were one.

The Armenian Language


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Grammatically, the two dialects differ in thedeclension of nouns and the conjugation of verbs.Using the noun grich / krich* (pen) and the verbgrel / krel (to write), the following examplesillustrate the differences:

Modern Eastern Armenian

Singular Plural

Nominative/Accusative grich grich-ner

Genitive/Dative grich-i grich-ner-iAblative grich-its grich-ner-its

Instrumental grich-ov grich-ner-ov

Locative grich-oom grich-ner-oom

Modern Western Armenian

Singular Plural

Nominative/Accusative krich krich-ner

Genitive/Dative krich-i krich-ner-oo

Ablative krich- krich-ner-

Instrumental krich-ov krich-ner-ov

Locative

* All examples throughout the booklet are given inEastern and Western pronunciations and forms. Eastern

pronunciations are listed first and Western second.

The Armenian Language (continued)


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Modern Eastern Armenian

groom em I write

groom es you write

groom e s/he writes

groom enk we write

groom ek you write

groom en they write

Modern Western Armenian

gkrem I write

gkres you write

gkre s/he writes

gkrenk we write

gkrek you write

gkren they write

Armenian nouns indicate number (both singularand plural) as well as case. Verbs agree with theirsubjects in person and number. Adjectives, as arule, precede nouns. The gap between literaryand spoken Armenian is not significant, especiallyamong the well educated who comprise the majorityof the population.

The Armenian Language (continued)


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The flexibility of the Armenian language is mostapparent when asking a question. To ask a questionwhen speaking, you simply change the intonationand stress the particular word that is the subject ofthe question. To ask a question in writing, you placea question mark () on the last vowel of the givenword (the subject in question). The word chosenwill change the meaning of the sentence and elicit adifferent response.

For example, the sentence Duk angleren

haskanum ek / Tuk ankleren g hasgnak means,You understand English. In the followingvariations of this sentence, applying a question markto the last vowel of the words to be stressed, changesthe question being asked:

Duk angleren haskanum ek. Tuk ankleren ghasgnak. Is it youwho understands English?

Duk angleren haskanum ek. Tuk ankleren ghasgnak.

Is it Englishthat you understand?

Duk angleren haskanum ek. Tuk ankleren ghasgnak. Do you understandEnglish?

Asking A Question


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Mark Armenian Name English Equivalent

but :This mark entails a short pause like the comma. Also used

when there are deleted speech parts in a sentence, or toseparate words that dont relate to each other, yet are next

to each other, and when the following word or phrase

explain or expand upon the preceding word or expression.

apatardz

Is used only in Western Armenian, when a vowel (mostly) is abbreviated.

... kakhman ket ...Works like the English ellipsis.

_metsgtsik

It is used for dialogues.

chakert Used as in English.

pakagits ( )Used as in English.

Armenian Punctuation (continued)


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Lower- Upper- Sound Value Num. case case Eastern/Western Value

a (halt) 1*

b (mob) / p (ape) 2

g (game) / c (car) 3

d (mad) / t (top) 4

e (hem) ** 5 z (zeal) 6

(hem) 7

(church) 8

t' (ton) 9

zh (measure) 10

i /ee (film /deer) 20

l (lamp) 30

kh (khmeir) 40

ts' (its) /dz (adz) 50

The Armenian Alphabet


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Lower- Upper- Sound Value Num. case case Eastern/Western Value

k (cat) / g (get) 60

h (hat) 70

dz (adz) / ts (its) 80

gh (yataghan) 90

ch' (chin) / j (jam) 100 m (man) 200

y (may) ** 300

n (new) 400

sh (mash) 500

o (more) ** 600

ch'(itch) / ch (chin) 700

p' (park) / b (bar) 800

j (just) / ch (chin) 900

r' (rum) 1000

The Armenian Alphabet (continued)


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Lowercase Uppercase Sound Value Num. Eastern/Western Value

s (song) 2000

v (veto) 3000

t (tap) / d (mad) 4000

r (hour) 5000

ts (its) 6000 w (wave) *** 7000

p' (pomp) 8000

k' (keep) 9000

o' (or)

f (fan)

* Just like roman numerals, Armenian characters also

represent a numerical value.** These letters respectively change their values at thebeginning of a word: ebecomesyeas inyet,ybecomes has in hat(in Western Armenian only), and obecomes voasin vote.

*** generates the oo sound, as in moon, when added to the

letter(vo).



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The Armenian alphabet consists of 38 letters,seven vowels and 31 consonants. The languagecontains stops, affricates, fricatives, nasals, andeven semi-vowels that, when combined, can mimicthe sounds of other languages.

Although Armenian has been spoken fromtime immemorial in Armenia, its alphabet (then,36 characters) was created in A.D. 404 by MesropMashtots, an Armenian monk who is also creditedwith creating the alphabets of the Georgian and

Caucasian Albanian languages. The last twocharacters were added during the Middle Ages toexpress the sounds of foreign words.

Mashtotss alphabet was revolutionary at thetime, designating one character for each phoneme,or sound. He also designed two sets of distinctly

different characters for each phoneme, one foruppercase and the other for lowercase.

Two decades after the creation of the alpha-bet, Armenian monks translated the Holy Bibleinto Armenian. That 5th-century translation ofthe Bible is referred to by scholars as the Queenof Translations.



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The tri-colored flag of Armenia beautifullysymbolizes the nations history and people. Theflags upper red stripe reflects the bloody pastArmenians have endured in the defense of theirhomeland and the right to worship as Christians; thecentral blue stripe represents the eternal Armenianhope and longing for peace; and the bottom orangestripe signifies the golden harvest of wheat andother crops.

According to scripture, after the great flood,

Noahs Ark came to rest atop Mount Ararat, thehighest point in historic Armenia. Indeed, Armenianshave long prided themselves on being descendantsof Noah. Nestled between the Caucasus Mountainsand the Anatolian Peninsula, some scholars considerArmenia the cradle of civilization, for Armenia

lay at the crossroads, where East met West.Armenia enjoyed its greatest geographical size

and influence in 95 B.C., when Tigran the Greats rulestretched from the Caspian Sea to the MediterraneanSea. Thereafter, Armenians experienced short-lived periods of autonomy, sandwiched between

longer periods under Roman, Persian, Byzantine,Arab, Seljuk, Mongol, Ottoman, and Russian rulers.Nevertheless, unlike other ancient nations whichperished under similar conditions, Armeniansstrengthened their resolve to survive and be self-governing while struggling under foreign rule.

History


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Key to the Armenian story was the unprecedentedleap of faith taken by King Trdat in A.D. 301 thatconverted the Armenians to Christianity. Theinvention of the Armenian alphabet and thetranslation of the Bible quickly followed. Together,Christianity and language became cornerstones ofthe Armenian identity.

Within a generation, however, this nationalidentity was tested at the Battle of Avarayr inA.D.451.Led by General Vardan Mamikonian, 66,000

Armenians fought a 220,000-strong Persian armyintent on imposing Zoroastrianism upon theArmenians. Many Armenians died that day on thebattlefield, but the ferocity of the Armenian will soimpressed the Persians that eventually, in A.D. 485,they signed the Treaty of Nvarsak. With this treaty,

the Armenians won freedom of religion and theright to practice Christianity.

Later, the fall of the Armenian Kingdom ofBagratids in 1045 caused the migration of manyArmenians toward Europe, where they gatheredin large communities located in surrounding

countries such as, Transylvania, Bulgaria, andPoland. These Armenian communities playedtwo subsequent major roles in history. First, theyfought to hamper the advance of the Ottomans intoEurope, and second, they contributed to the conceptof religious reform.

History (continued)


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Another turning point in Armenian historyoccurred in 1555 when the Ottoman and PersianEmpires divided historic Armenia between them,with the vast majority of Armenian land falling

under Ottoman rule. Later, in 1828, by the Treatyof Turkmanchai, Persia ceded Eastern Armenia toRussia, which established the basis for Armeniansovereignty on the land now recognized as theRepublic of Armenia.

Meanwhile, after centuries of living as minority

subjects in the Ottoman Empire, the rise ofnationalism in the late nineteenth century ignitedthe long-latent desire of Western Armenians forthe liberation of historic Armenia from Ottomanrule. This awakening brought with it the formationof Armenian political parties and resulted in the

massacre of approximately 300,000 Armeniansunder Sultan Abdulhamid II who was intent onsuppressing Armenian nationalist demands. TheSultans policy of annihilation was later continuedby the Young Turks government, which, on April24, 1915, launched the premeditated mass killings

and deportation of Armenians from their historiclands of Eastern Anatolia. An estimated millionand a half Armenians perished in what is known asthe Armenian Genocide, the first genocide of thetwentieth century.

History (continued)


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On May 18, 1918, Armenia declared itsindependence, but, once again, it was short-lived.Less than two years later, on November 29, 1920,the first Republic of Armenia fell to the Bolsheviks.

Self-determination for the Armenian nation wasfinally realized on September 21, 1991, when thenewly-established, independent, and democraticRepublic of Armenia was born upon the breakup ofthe Soviet Union.

History (continued)


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The Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church tracesits foundation to Christs disciples, Saints Thaddeusand Bartholomew, who preached and were martyredin Armenia. In A.D. 301, Christianity was proclaimed

the official state religion, establishing Armenia as theworlds first Christian nation.

Two years later, the Mother Church of HolyEchmiadzin was established. Echmiadzin is regardednot only as the center of the Armenian church,but also, together with Mount Ararat, as a symbol

of Armenias eternity. During the darkest periodsof Armenias history, when Armenians had losttheir independence and the majority of theirleaders, the church protected the Armenian identityand aspirations.

Today, the majority of Armenians belong to the

Armenian Apostolic Church, which is headed bya Catholicos, or supreme patriarch / head bishop,who resides in Echmiadzin. Known as OrientalOrthodox, the Armenian Church is allied with theJacobite (Syrian), Coptic, Ethiopian, and Malankara(Indian) Christian Churches. Sometimes referred to

as non-Chalcedonian, these churches separated fromWestern Christianity in the mid-fifth century andprofess Christ as being of one nature in his divinityand humanity. A small percentage of Armeniansconverted to Catholicism and Protestantism.

Religion


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The Republic of Armenia covers 11,506 squaremiles (29,800 square kilometers or about the sizeof the state of Maryland) in the region knownas the Transcaucasus located in southwesternAsia. Armenia shares borders with Turkey, Iran,Azerbaijan, and Georgia. One-third of Armenia iscomprised of fertile valleys and pastureland. Theremaining territory is mountainous and rocky.

The difficult terrain of the Armenian homelandand the resiliency of its people are illustrated in

a well-known folktale. It is said that God allowedrepresentatives of various nations to specify thetypes of lands they would like to have for theirhomelands. When it was the Armenians turnto present their request, there was nothing butrocks left, so that is what God gave them.

Nevertheless, Armenians accepted the rocky landand cultivated it with their sweat, turning the rocksinto wheat and grapes.

Armenia lies on a major fault line. Themost recent, significant earthquake occurred onDecember 7, 1988 in and around Gyumri, Armenias

second largest city. According to some sources, itclaimed up to 65,000 lives.

The mountainous areas of Armenia are dottedwith streams, rivers, and small lakes. Lake Sevan,one of the worlds largest mountain lakes, is located6,500 feet above sea level and covers 540 square

The Land and Climate


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miles (1,400 square kilometers). It is home to someunique species of fish, including the endangeredIshkhan (prince) trout.

Summer lasts from June to mid-September with

temperatures ranging between 71 F (22 C) and97 F (36 C). However, low humidity levelsmitigate the effect of high temperatures and coolingevening breezes blow down from the mountains.Spring is short, while fall is long and remarkablefor its colorful foliage. Winter is quite cold with

temperatures ranging between 14 F (-10 C) and20 F (-5 C). Armenia gets a lot of snow, whichmakes Tsakhkadzor, a ski resort located outside ofthe capital city of Yerevan, very popular.

The Land and Climate (continued)


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An estimated 8 to 9 million Armenians livethroughout the world. Armenians living in theRepublic of Armenia count for a little more than one-third of this number. Ethnic Armenians comprise 96

percent of Armenias 3.5 million people. Minoritygroups include Kurds, Russians, Yezidis, Assyrians,and Greeks.

The largest Armenian communities outsideArmenia are found in the United States, Russia,Iran, France, Lebanon, and Syria. These Diasporan

communities are well organized and centered aroundArmenian churches, schools, newspapers, culturaland youth centers, organizations, and even politicalparties. Diasporan Armenians consider themselvesloyal citizens of their host countries and take pridein the contributions they bring to the progress of

these countries in every walk of life.A few of the many Armenian individuals

recognized the world over:

Arshile Gorky (1904-1948) Armenian-bornAmerican Abstract Expressionist Painter.

William Saroyan (1908-1981) an Americanauthor who wrote many plays and short storiesabout growing up impoverished as the son ofArmenian immigrants.

Population


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Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) whose portrait ofWinston Churchill in 1941 brought him internationalprominence.

Charles Aznavour, born Varenagh Aznavourian

in Paris, the son of Armenian immigrants. Discov-ered by the great singer Edith Piaf, he toured withher through France and the U.S. Often described asthe Frank Sinatra of France, Aznavour is knownworld-wide for his love songs.

Population (continued)


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Unlike English, Armenian employs twoseparate forms for the singular and plural you.When addressing officials, elders, or strangers,Armenian customs and politeness mandate the useof the pluralyou. It is also customary to use formaltitlesparon / baron(Mr.) for all men, tikin / digin(Mrs.) for married women, and oriord / oriort(Miss)for unmarried women. To address an unmarriedwoman as married or vice-versa is consideredoffensive. The Armenian language does not possessan equivalent to the English Ms.

Peers and close friends address each other byfirst name and add the endearment jan after thename. For example, Talinbecomes Talin jan. Themost common greeting barev / parev, literally, Letgood be with you, expresses a casual, Hello. Theplural form barev dzez / parev tsez, Hello to you,

signifies respect or formality. Another popular formof greeting is bari or, Good day.

When meeting, men shake hands; some kissacquaintances on the cheek. Women hug and kisseach other on the cheek. After an initial greeting,it is common to ask vonts es / inchbes es?, How

are you? or vonts ek / inchbes ek? (formal).When taking leave, Armenians say tstesutyun /tsdesutyun, Until next meeting, or hajoghutyun /hachoghutyun, Good luck.

Urban Armenians do not acknowledge strangers,but rural people will greet them.

Greeting and Forms of Address


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Armenians often rely on body language toexpress themselves. During casual conversation, eyecontact is expected. Hand gestures are used amongfriends, such as expressing approval with thumbs upor a shrug of the shoulders to show indifference. In

formal settings, however, such body movements areconsidered impolite and people exercise restraint.Chewing gum in public is impolite, as is puttingones feet up on furniture. Men, and sometimeswomen, stand when an older person enters a room.People remove hats when entering a building.

Armenians are sociable and gregarious. Theytreat guests graciously and generously and expectthe same when visiting. Guests are served dessertor fresh fruits with coffee or tea. Guests arrivingnear mealtimes are invited to share the meal.Unannounced visits are common and accepted,

especially between neighbors and relatives. Infact, neighbors often enjoy very close relationships,because of frequent daytime visits between thewomen and socializing in the neighborhoodcourtyard or nearby cafs among men.

When inviting friends to socialize, people prefer

to go to cafs or restaurants. Invitations to thehome occur primarily for special events, in whichcase guests are expected to bring flowers or sweets.When flowers are given, they are given only tothe hostess and only an odd number of stems isappropriate except for funerals, when an even

number of stems is customary.

Socializing - The Armenian Character


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Armenians take great pride in their history. Theyvalue freedom, sometimes to the point of anarchism,along with justice and fairness. Their long, tragichistory has developed, in many, a sarcastic senseof humor, mixed with skepticism and the urge tounveil conspiracies. Hard work, a strong will,and perseverence are among their most strikingindividual characteristics. These qualities are alsoregarded as key to the Armenian national identity.Armenians are proud of the fact that they have longbeen acknowledged for their entrepreneurial skills

and their ability to adapt.

Dress Code

Armenians, particularly the young and thoseliving in major cities, follow modern European orAmerican trends in fashion. Older women are moreconservative in their dress, as are men. Parentsdo their best to dress their children well, becausemaintaining a good appearance is important to themand their prestige in the community.

Rural women wear multi-layered long dresseswhen at home. Rural men essentially dress asurban men do, except when working in the fields.Traditional costumes are limited to special culturalevents and ceremonies.

Socializing - The Armenian Character (continued)


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The family plays the most influential role inArmenian life, ensuring that religious and culturalvalues are passed from generation to generation.Armenian values are a unique mix of bothconservative and progressive approaches drawnfrom Eastern and Western traditions and concepts.

The father is the family patriarch. He headsthe family and works for its financial well-being.The mother is in charge of the household and thechildrens education. Urban men and women have

equal access to higher education, and often bothpursue professional careers outside of the home.Great value is placed on education, and parents areresponsible for providing their children with thebest schooling and higher education available.

Children are not expected to do chores except for

homework until boys are old enough to help withneighborhood shopping and girls with housework.Rural families have more children than urban families,who usually limit their offspring to two or three.

Newlyweds commonly reside with the groomsparents, who later care for the grandchildren and arecared for and supported by their children. First-bornsons are appreciated, because they represent futuresecurity and assurance of the familys continuity. Ifthere are two sons, it is customary for the youngerto stay with the parents while the older son moveshis family into a new home or apartment.

Society


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Armenians love to read newspapers and discusspolitics in groups. Soccer is the most popularsport. Wrestling and boxing are also favorites,and Armenians boast many world champions inthese fields. It is common to see children playingoutdoor games.

Among all age groups, chess and backgammonare especially popular, particularly since Armenianchess players, Tigran Petrosyan, Garry Kasparov,and many others, have demonstrated their superior

skill during world championships.Encouraged by Andre Agassis success on the

court, tennis is gaining momentum among the young.

Armenians enjoy cultural performances and thearts. Frequent attendance at the opera and othermusical and theatrical performances is consideredessential to the quality of life. Folk music is verypopular and special attention is paid to educatingchildren in the skills of drawing, painting, dancing,acting, and playing instruments.

Recreation


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The Armenian table is one of the worlds greatculinary melting pots. Rather than rely on condimentsor sauces, Armenian dishes depend upon the fooditself to give fine flavor. The cuisine relies heavilyon bulgur (precooked cracked wheat) and lentils forbulk and substance. Many vegetables extend thedishes, which are eaten with large quantities of bread,especially flatbread. Although not vegetarians,the Armenian diet relies heavily on fresh fruits andvegetables, cheeses and yogurt, and whole grains andnuts. It is considered one of the healthiest diets in theworld today.

The days first meal, nakhajash,consists of coffeeor tea and a pastry. Children are served bread, butter,cheese, boiled eggs, honey or jam, and warm milk.Lunch (jash) is eaten at midday. Dinner ( ntrik) is

served in the evening and is the main meal.When guests are present, a seghanabedor tamada

(toast-master) will propose toasts, ranging frompraising the hostess to world peace. Traditionally, awoman prepares the meals and joins the group onlyafter serving everyone else. She will later insist that

her guests take second or third helpings. Alcoholicbeverages, primarily Armenian cognac or vodka, areserved in small cups and must be emptied in one sip,to be renewed immediately after. Declining suchoffers in rural areas can offend the hosts, so its bestto drink and eat slowly.

Cuisine


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New Years (Amanor), January 1-6 (officialholiday) Gifts are exchanged among family andfriends.

Christmas (Surb Tsnund), January 6 (official

holiday) Part of the ritual is the Blessing ofWater.

Womens Day, March 8 (official holiday) Men give presents to women, and the streets arefull of flowers. People usually celebrate with friends,

in cafs, restaurants, or at home.Easter (Zatik), April 8 (religious holiday)

Celebrations include coloring eggs and engaging infriendly, but competitive egg wars.

Genocide Victims Commemoration Day,

April 24 (official holiday) Hundreds of thousandsof Armenians climb the Tsitsernakaberd Hill inYerevan to pay respect to the victims of the 1915genocide and to remind the world of the horrors ofracial cleansing.

Victory and Peace Day, May 9 (official holiday) celebrates the end of World War II and honorsthe almost 350,000 Armenian servicemen who losttheir lives fighting against the Nazi forces.

Armenian Holidays


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Day of the First Republic, May 28 (officialholiday) Marks the 1918 to 1920 period ofindependence.

Constitution Day, July 5 (official holiday)

The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia wasadopted through a national referendum on July 5, 1995.

Independence Day, September 21 (officialholiday) Celebrates the restoration of theRepublic of Armenia in 1991, after 70 years of

sovietization.

Holy Translators Day (Targmanchats ton),October 13 (religious holiday) Dedicated to thecreator of the Armenian alphabet, Mesrop Mashtots,and Sahak Partev, translator and interpreter ofthe Bible.

Day of Remembrance of Victims of the 1988Earthquake, December 7 (official holiday) Commemorates the thousands of people who diedas a result of the earthquake that also destroyedmuch of the Republics infrastructure.

Armenian Holidays (continued)

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