Armenia to host 2013 International Folk Festival

Several Armenian regions will this year be home to the Second International Folk Festival expected to welcome participants from world’s different states.

Director of the Tonatsuyc (Calendar) Folk Theatre Hasmik Bareghamyan, who is an organizer of the event, told a news conference on Thursday that they are planning events in Ujan (Aragatsotn region), Gavar (Gegharkunik region), Dzoraghyugh (Lori region), Byurakan (Aragatsotn region) and Yerevan. As for the guests, they will be invitees from the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Italy.

“The festival is aimed at introducing our ancient folk rituals in our theatre. The second objective, which is no less important, is to build a cultural bridge to make our festivals and rituals known on universal levels,” she said, adding that their theatre has actively taken part in international events since 2010.

Bareghamyan noted with regret that Armenia had never had such folklore events up until 2010 when it hosted a delegation from Europe.

“The festival is aimed at developing folklore groups in villages and the introducing village rituals. If we now speak, for example, of holidays, that’s an everyday life for the village people. We are going to perform folk and ethnographic songs and dances,” she noted.

Bareghamyan said further the theatre is planning several tours to Europe this year, with Italy being its first destination.


She was in the meantime discontent to note that the local media do not give a due attention to national events which she said should be considered the pride of the Armenian people.

Sergey Umroyan, the theatre’s PR manager also attending the news conference, noted for his part that the festival is going to be like a parade, with the participants expected to tour different villages, cities and towns, performing rituals typical to the given location.

Speaking further, the ethnographer Narine Shamamyan said an important part of the festival is the creation of a broad cultural communication network. “This has to be an on-going process,” she added.