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Armenian Church Celebrates

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  • Armenian Church Celebrates

    ARMENIAN CHURCH CELEBRATES
    By Patricia Norris

    The Republican, MA
    Sept 5 2005

    SPRINGFIELD - St. Mark Armenian Church's Festival was a little taste
    of home for Irina Tumasyan.

    Tumasyan, her husband and their children spent the day at the church
    festival on Wilbraham Road, visiting, eating and dancing. She and
    her family came to the area from Armenia six years ago, she said.

    "We enjoy it. We meet other Armenians here," she said as she watched
    a group of women perform an ethnic dance called kochary.

    "The dance is a tradition from Lebanon or places like Iran,"
    Tumasyan said, two of the countries that absorbed Armenians during
    the Diaspora resettlement from the Ottoman Empire at the beginning
    of the 20th century.

    Armenia is considered the first country to have officially embraced
    Christianity as its religion, around 300 A.D.

    At all food and drink tables, large glass jars were set up to collect
    donations for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Money raised went to
    the National Council of Churches Humanitarian Relief Effort.

    People tossed change into the jars as they bought traditional breads,
    sweets and foods like kufta - stuffed meatballs.

    Eleanor Demirjian of Longmeadow, who organized the bake sale, said
    she and other volunteers began preparing food a month before the
    festival, freezing what they could and then working many hours last
    week on the fresh items.

    For many people it is a treat to try some of the foods, as many of
    the traditional dishes are time consuming to make, Demirjian said.

    She said there was no best-seller at her table, but many people seemed
    partial to the cheese-filled pastries and the difficult-to-make
    meat pies called lahmajoon that the church brought to the festival
    from Boston.

    "It's a good reason to get together," she said, "to share food,
    family and camaraderie."

    It was also a time to let non-Armenians learn about their culture
    and traditions.

    Suren Tumasyan bragged about the fine brandy being served.

    "Everyone says it is the best cognac in the world," he said.
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