The socio-cultural event “Armenian Evening” conquered the hearts of Chinese visitors and audiences
On April 20th, a unique cultural event was held on Tianxingzhou Island, also known as “Tianxing Island,” situated in the middle of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The event, entitled “Armenian Evening,” was organized by Anahit Vardanyan, an Armenian resident, in partnership with Hubei Yiyou Tianxia International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. The aim of the event was to promote intercultural communication between Armenians and Chinese in the region.
The “Armenian Evening” was truly a cultural extravaganza that showcased Armenian history, customs, traditions, and cuisine. The event began with Armenian girls dressed in traditional clothes welcoming the Chinese guests. Attendees were treated to an entertaining and interactive presentation on Armenian history, customs, and traditions, including wine-tasting, tasting of traditional Armenian cuisine such as tolma, and barbeque-making. The evening also featured traditional Armenian dances, including kochari, recognized by UNESCO as an Armenian intangible cultural heritage. Attendees not only enjoyed the graceful dance performances but also learned how to dance Kochari and Ververi. One of the highlights of the evening was the traditional Armenian pastry, gata-cutting and sharing ceremony, which has been a century-long custom. Gata can have different fillings such as nuts, most commonly walnuts. During the gata-cutting ceremony, a coin is placed inside the dough before baking, and whoever receives the piece with the coin is said to be blessed with good fortune. The guest who found the coin received a gift, and Armenian souvenir-gifts were given to all the winners of interactive games and contests.
The success of the “Armenian Evening” can be attributed to the hard work and efforts of Anahit Vardanyan, the host Karine Avdalyan, Bruce (黄岚), Frank (彭晨), Yvonne (金烜), Lyudmila, Alvina, Sis, Sargis, Alan, and many others. The organizers received warm and positive feedback on both Chinese and Armenian social media and plan to continue this event due to its positive and successful outcome.
ChinArmArt is proud to have made a modest contribution to this event and to share this story with a broader audience.