“Jesus in the old testament - Յիսուս Հին Ուխտին մէջ”

Vaհe H Apelian

“Յիսուս Հին Ուխտին մէջ - Jesus in the old testament” is the title of the book the late Rev. Barkev Orchanian wrote.

This past week, the car accident, that took the lives of 32-year-old Arie Orchanian and his 80-year-old paternal aunt, Anie (Orchanian) Manoushagian, reminded me of their father and grandfather Rev. Barkev Orchanian.

 Local news outlets reported that the accident happened on a Watertown busy street where the speed limit is 20 miles per hour.  On Tuesday, December 23 morning, Arie Orchanian and his aunt Anie (Orchanian) Manoushagian, attended a funeral at the Bigelow Avenue Armenian Evangelical church. After the burial, they were headed back to the church for a memorial dinner, but they never made it. Their sedan collided with a Tesla, killing the two.

This tragic accident reminded me of another tragedy the family endured years ago, when Rev. Barkev Orchanian family lost his son Rev. Norayr Hagop, to illness.

I met the Rev. Barkev and his wife Mrs. Arousiag Orchanian and family in Keurkune, Kessab when they spent part of their summer with my paternal grandparents (see the link). Later on, Ani Orchanian became a student at the American University of Beirut when I was studying there as well. Other than my parents hosting Rev. Orchanian in Beirut, I have no recollection of meeting an Orchanian family member after I came to the U.S. But Rev. Barkev Orchanian and his family has remained etched in my memory because it would not have been possible to have met the reverend and not being impressed by his Christian conviction.

Rev. Barkev Orchanian is also the author of “Յիսուս Հին Ուխտին մէջ - Jesus in the old testament”  book written in 1992. I have retained a copy of the book in my library. The reverend has dedicated the book to his son, Rev. Norayr Hagop Orchanian. I would like to cite in translation Rev. Barkev’s dedication of the book to his son. And, Rev. Dr. Harold A.K. Hasessian’s presentation of the book.

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Dedication: “I dedicate this humble study to the memory of my son, Reverend Norayr Hakop Orchanian, who departed this world prematurely and opened his eyes to eternity, as his tombstone. In a way, to have fulfilled his ardent desire for evangelization and to spread the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My son, you were a star that rose and shone in our celestial vault, but like a shooting star, you soon disappeared, wounding all the sensitive hearts that loved you. My son, we are aware that hope does not die, nor is it buried. Although it may become invisible to our eyes for a time, it lives on forever, maintaining its radiant existence, as the Prophet Daniel says, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” KJV 12:3.

You came into this world as a light, illuminating a period, though brief, yet lasting, like a comet. You did what you could do and little more. In your debilitating illness, you did not refuse the offer made to you by your principal, Dr. Rev. H. Fletcher, that you would lead a group of young people to Damascus. You not only did not refuse, but you eagerly accepted it. Those around you had begun to forget your name and call you “the smiling young man.” Now, you are smiling from above.” 

***  

Rev. Dr. Harold A.K. Hasessian: “Reverend Barkev Orchanian has rendered a fruitful pastoral service in the Armenian Evangelical Church of the Near East. For nearly half a century, he has preached the Gospel of Christ and spread the message of salvation to the remote provinces of Lebanon and Syria, where Armenians are scattered. He has also worked in churches in Istanbul, as well as in U. S. and in Canada. The Reverend is a dedicated, orthodox and faithful clergyman. He has been a visionary, a tireless reader, a persistent worker, and a studious pastor. He has been a serious student of the Bible. He presents to the religious world a unique scholarly work, titled “JESUS ​​IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.”

It is very beneficial to follow the Reverend’s way of thinking in order to understand the art of his interpretations and analyses.

Reverend Barkev Orchanian sees in the characters and the happening of the Old Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ, His holiness and righteousness. He finds Jesus as the promised Messiah, the awaited Savior, the High Priest of the Temple, the Lamb of God and the Sacrificial Lamb on the altar of fire, for the salvation and forgiveness of sins, for the Jewish people and the entire pagan world.

The publication “JESUS ​​IN THE OLD TESTAMENT” invites the reader to delve deeper into pre-Christian revelation. Those who know Jesus and follow in His footsteps will find Him in the works of the kings, the judges, and the prophets of the Old Testament, as well as in the temple, where every symbol points to His majesty, authority, and power as the Son of God. The picture on the book cover reflects that mystery. Jesus, as the light of the world, floods the temple with its surrounding 

I wish and pray that, this meritorious work of the Very Reverend Barkev Orchanian, will illuminate the reader’s mind and the brighten the reader's soul. The author will feel rewarded when he learns that the central figure of the book, Lord Jesus, has been the personal savior of the reader. Spread the message of this beneficial book by sharing it with many”. 

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Link: Our granfather Stepan Apelian - https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/search?q=Stepan+apelian 

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's

Vaհe H Apelian 

 

Armenians celebrating Independence Day on September 21, 2018. 
Pictures courtesy J. Urban

I quote the following from an article Stepan Piligian recently shared: “It is disingenuous to support Karekin II simply because of dislike of the prime minister, especially when concerns about the Catholicos’ leadership have been voiced for decades. While this does not justify government interference in the elections, the church’s failure to address internal issues has contributed to this confrontation. We cannot afford to let this conflict devolve into a national debate over who is correct.” (Weekly December 4, 2025 - Searching for solutions to the church-government crisis requires transparency).

Indeed so, but as far as I am concerned, it was catholicos Karekin It who breached the constitution causing the constitutionqal crisis. He cast the stone first.

We must also accept that the state is not against the Armenian Church and not even against the Armenian Apostolic church. We must accept that the Armenian church is also Armenian Catholic and Armenian Evangelical Churches; and furthermore, that the Armenian Apostolic Church rests on four independent administrative pillars. The Armenian government is in conflict with Catholicos Karekin II and the Etchmiadzin ecclesiastical hierarchy and not with catholicos of the Cilician See seated in Antelias and not with the two patriarchs, one seated in Jerusalem and the other in Istanbul.

Of course, this is not a matter of a personal conflict between the prime minister Nikol Pashinyan and catholicos Karekin II, although and surely, their personalities play a definite role in the conflict, but the real issue is a constitutional matter. 

As far as I am concerned, it was the Etchmiadzin church hierarchy that breached its constitutional contract and hence triggered the ensuing crisis. To substantiate and bolster my claim I cite the following political posturings of Etchmiadzin hierarchy.

 After Armenia was defeated and capitulated in the disastrous second Artsakh war, or the catastrophic 44-Day War, Catholicos called for the resignation of the prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, whom the citizens of Armenia had overwhelmingly elected in December 2019.  

Nikol Pashinyan resigned as Prime Minister of Armenia on April 25, 2021, to trigger early parliamentary elections to resolve the political crisis, though he continued as acting PM until the new government was formed after the June 2021 elections.  But, the citizens of Armenia reelected him in June 2021.  However, the catholicos did not rescind his call for the PM’s resignation. On the contrary, the catholicos Karekin II qualified his call pontifical – Hayrabedagan. That is to say open ended and remains in force until the PM’s resignation is brought about. 

Not only the Catholicos did not rescind his call, he tacitly approval Archbishops Galstanyan, to wage an insurrection against the democratically elected government, calling it a holy struggle, Srpazan Baykar,– Սրբազան Պայքար. During the insurrection. in May 2024, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan issued a deadline for the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign, giving Pashinyan a short ultimatum, initially one hour, then extended it.  In the same breath, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan became a candidate for Prime Minister of Armenia backed by the opposition and naturally supported by catholicos Karekin II.

It such actions do not constitute a breach of constitutional contract, what would it take to breach the constitution? 

I believe, catholicos Karekin II and the Etchmiadzin ecclesiastical hierarchy forfeited the  the Article 17 of the Constitution, that spells out that “The freedom of activities of religious organizations shall be guaranteed in the Republic of Armenia.. Religious organizations shall be separate from the State.” 

It is the duty of the government of Armenia to see that the constitution is upheld. And it also is the right of the citizens of Armenia to see that the catholicos seating in Etchmiadzin upholds the constitution and acts according the well-known biblical command, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's"(Romans 13:7).

The Caesar is the Constitutional Armenian State, to which both the church and state should conform.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

The vengeful brave fedaye will never mistreat women.

Vaհe H Apelian

Կանանց երբէք ձեռք տալու չէ վրէժխնդիր քաջ ֆէտան

The vengeful brave fedaye will never mistreat women.

The quoted passage is from a well known song, at least in ARF circles, about Khanasor Expedition. In my youth as a member of ARF affiliated youth organizations, I too have joined in singing that song. It appears that Khanasor Expedition was also celebrated on the East Coast United States. I was pleasantly surprised when I read the following about Armenian picnics: «For many years, the Providence ARF has held a picnic to honor the memory of the “Khanasor Expedition,” a retribution led by ARF fedayees against the marauding Mazrik Kurdish tribe in 1897.» ( Stepan Piligian, Weekly, July 17, 2025).

But I am astounded to read the ARF press make room for deragotary remarks hurled at Anna Hakobyan, prime minister Nikol Pashinyan's significant other. I used that term purposely, not to make room for comments about her or his marital status. "Significant other" was a commonly used term during my  employment, for social get together, as co-workers or colleagues do and did. I am particularly disturbed when I come across derogatory comments in the Weekly, or for that matter in Hairenik as well, simply because Weekly's experience runs deep on the East Coast U.S., where more than any other Armenian communities I know, there are second, third generation or even forth generation Armenian Americans whose education and experience, I expected would have shaped the Weekly to be more in tune with the current social norms and set standard for verbiage in the ARF press worldwide. I will be amazed to learn that there are Weekly readers who do not have in their larger family social circles, young men and women cohabiting. The all knowing AI tells me that approximately 40% of births in the United States are to unmarried women. Of course it varies from region to region. 

I happened to be watching the prime minister Nikol Pashinya explain  about his marital status. Some news outlets reportedit it as well. I quote from such reports because they reflect what I heard. The prime minister said,  “Back in the 1990s, when I was engaged in opposition political activities, I fully expected to be arrested, prosecuted, and have my assets confiscated.” “The only reason I chose not to marry was to protect my family.” He continued on elaborating and said: “I knew what could happen to me. I wanted my children to at least have a home. That’s the only reason we’re not officially married.» Anna Hakobyan commented too and said they have been together since she was 17 years old. Let us face it, had the people of Armenia not stood by Nikol Pashinyan during the Velvet Revolution, he would have been languishing in jail now. He was imprisoned for 1 year and 11 months for his role in the 2008 post-election protests and was released in May 2011.

The fact of the matter is that Nikol Pashinyan and Anna Hakobyan have been together long enough to claim that they have a sold family. I quote and let the reader update their ages: «Nikol Pashinyan has four children: a son, Ashot, who was 18 in March 2018, and three daughters. The youngest daughter, Arpi, was celebrated on her 5th birthday on August 2020, meaning she was 5 at that time.» 

When it comes to legal marriage, my maternal grandmother was also not legally wed.

My paternal and maternal grandparnts were orphaned survivors of the genocide. My maternal grandmother did not legally marry. She was socially married in their make shift camp near a town in Syria called Deir Atiyah. Some of the Kessabtsis were lucky enough to be driven there and to surrounding towns, instead of to Deir ez-Zor, in Syria. 

My grandmother Karoun was hardly 15 years old when she was driven for extermination with her father Hanna Apelian, mother Anna (nee Boymoushakian), her sister-in-law Anna Apelian (nee Tititizian), and Anna's surviving son James Apelian (see note). When the rest of her immediate family died due to exhaustion and disease, her relatives arranged her to mary the eligble bachelor Khacher Chelebian, from keurkune, Kessab as well. Her brother-in-law to be, who was known for his piety, married them.

They,  along with the remaining survivors managed to return to Kessab in 1918. She may have been married in that year as well.  At that time, Syria was a French protectorate, altough for the first two years Kessabtsis ran their own independent mini republic. When the French left, Kessab was incorporated back to Turkey, as it was always part of the Ottoman Empire. But later on, upon the appeals of the  survivors to the European occupation focres, Kessab was included in Syria. 

Their marriage did not last long in that convoluted period of history. Their eldest,  my late uncle Antranig Chalabian was eight years old when his father, my grandmother's husband died on February 1, 1930, due to «pneumonia», if not,malnutrition. I am not sure at what point did she have her marriage registered or if they did. Her children, my mother and her two brothers were Syrian nationals in their adult lives.

Note: As to young James Apelian, he was the father of the late Kevork George Apelian, who is the author of «Anna the Bride» and «Martyrdom for Life» books that have been translated in several languages (https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2022/01/anna-bride-and-her-grandson.html)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Qatmabour/Katmabour/Գաթմապուր

Vaհe H Apelian

Qatmabout with and without mint

Qatmabour is a favorite Kessab dish. I have my fast-food version of qatmabour, which I find equally tasty. If interested continue on reading.

Qatmabour is also one of my favorite Kessab dishes. Whenever I visited my mother, she made qatmabour for me and kept it in the refrigerator. It is an everyday Kessab simple dish. It can be savored at any season.

The Armenian word Գաթմապուրը  may be phonetically spelled and transliterated as qatmabour or katmabour. 

The other day I asked my cousin Stepan J Apelian the recipe of qatmabour. He sent me the following: ““Boil the bulgur (preferably No.4) well, until the grains open. Sprinkle with salt and let it cool. Then beat the yogurt well, and slowly add cold water according to taste. Light or thick, as you like.

Add to the cooled bulgur, while stirring at the same time. Very simple.” 

Stepan also noted the following. “The people of Kessap say "Jajukh with a lot of water, and the qatmabour with a lot of water are for the rich. The thick and solid ones are for the poor. You choose.”

It occurred to me to also check the Kessab recipe cookbook I have: “KESSAB, recipes from my childhood” by Zevart Keshishian. It is a beautiful, hard cover book, almost 200 pages long and has the recipes of all Kessab food I know. I checked there too. I found the recipe presented as Kakmabor. The recipe called for 1 cup of bulgur #4, 3 cups of water, 2 cups of buttermilk, salt and pepper and dry mint. The preparation is simple, much like Stepan had described: “Add bulgur to boiling water, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until well cooked. Set aside. Combine cooked bulgur with buttermilk, sprinkle with dry mint, and serve cold.”. Buttermilk she noted is made by mixing equal amounts of yogurt and water, and a pinch of salt. She calls Kakmabor, “Bulgur with Buttermilk.”

Let us be reminded that taste is acquired. Not all foods taste equally appetizing to all. I have my version of qatmabour Instead of using bulgur, which takes 20 to 30 minutes to prepare, I use old fashioned quaker oat and resort to microwave as directed, which takes a little over 2 minutes. I set the microwaved oat aside, as I prepare the yogurt, and then combine the two, and at time, I sprinkle powdered mint I have prepared from my garden mint.

Voila, oat qatmabour, or instant qatmabour, see the picture above.

By all accounts qatmabour, with bulgur or  with oat, such as regular Quaker oat, is a healthy dish. Try it. More likely than not, you will like it too.

I do not think coincidence explains it

Vaհe H Apelian

Today I just happen to come across an article about native plants of Massachusetts. Among them there was a plant that was named FOX GRAPE. It said that “Fox grape grows on high climbing vines that drape over trees and fences. Its fruits grow in loose clusters, each grape about the size of a marble, with a dusky bloom and thick skin”.

It occurred to me that in Kessab we had native plant we called ԹԻՊԻԿԻ ԽԱՂՈՂ – TEABIGE KHAGHOGH. It also grew in the wild on climbing vines on fences or clusters of stones. Its fruits too grew in clusters, and each grape is about the size of marble.

I asked my cousin Stepan J Apelian and Hagop Tcholakian to validate my recollection. Both confirmed my recollection. ԹԻՊԻԿԸ  ԽԱՂՈՒՂ – TEABIGE KHAGHOUGH, Hagop Tcholakian confirmed.

Hagop Tcholakian recently published a book on the native plants of Kessab. I have not seen the book, let alone read it. He said that in that book he has explained around 600 native plants of Kessab. Among them, in native pronunciation ԹԻՊԻԿԸ ԽԱՂՈՒՂ – TEABIGEH KHAGHOUGH.  He sent me several pictures of the grape like fruit and the plants. I posted the pictures of two grapes above.

Armenians call fox, aghoues -աղուէս։ If teabig is not an aghoues, what kind of foxlike animal is it? I wondered. Hagop said the following: “in Old Armenian it’s 'topek'- թոպեկ.  In Modern Armenian 'it’s Shnakayl – շնագայլ.  In Turkish it’s chakal – չագալ.” Wikipedia claims that “yes, there are foxes in Syria, including the Arabian red fox and Rüppell's fox.” There are no coyotes in Syria. Consequently, I can safely say that teabig is Arabian red fox or Rüppell's fox, or some foxlike animal, that belongs to the genus  that “includes domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals, and dingoes.”

In my youth in Keurkune, my paternal grandparents and uncle, used to buy me a sheep. It was my duty to take care of it during my summer stay. Have it grazed, water it and so forth. But one summer, early in the morning, we found out that my sheep had gotten loose from its leash and had wondered. My uncle and I went all over to find it. We found its carcass, at the foot of the sarp, Keurkune’s “mountain” side. The teabigs had devoured it. Kids of that era remember the howling of the teabigs at night, confining the kids indoors. 

 

Upper row: Kessab native
Lower Row: Massachusetts native

The fox-grapes and teabig-grapes definitely have different colors. Fox-grapes are black. The teabig-grapes are red. I have attached pictures of their plants. 

But what is amazing, is the naming of these wild grapes after a fox and a foxlike animal, teabig.  My cousin Stepan sounded the same. He commented: “The fruit are not exactly the same, nor the colors. They are different. The size the grapes appear to be different. But their naming?”

Yes, their naming. How to explain the naming of these wild grapes?

Is it simply a coincidence that Massachusetts natives call the plant Fox-Grapes and the Kessab Natives call it Fox-like (teabige) Grapes (Khaghoug) ?

I am not so sure. 

But, it could very well be that the two natives, oceans and continents away from each other; one in the great state of Massachusetts in the United States of America; the other, the living Armenian Cilician historical enclave Kessab in the great Arab country of Syria, found these wild grapes growing in the wild, "clever, cunning, playful, adaptable", much like foxes and teabigs are known to be, and hence called one FOX GRAPE and d the other ԹԻՊԻԿԸ ԽԱՂՈՒՂ – TEABIGEH KHAGHOUGH.

The ancient oak tree of Keurkune Cemetery

 Բնագիրը կցուած է ներքեւը։ Attached is my abridged translation of Hagop Tcholakian’s visit the Keurkune cemetery and his description of the ancient oak tree there. True to his words, in my youth, we too have inserted coin between the stones in the oak tree’s trunk and we also sacrificed rooster given to us by a villager as offering (madagh). Vaհe H Apelian

The trunk of the ancient Keurkune Cemetery oak tree
On the left Hovag Apelian,  courtesy Stepan Apelian
On the right courtesy Hagop Tcholakian

“Yesterday I visited the cemetery of the village of Keurkune, which is one of the oldest villages in the region. In a charter prepared by the Crusader Duke Renald of Antioch, we  meet a village named Corcona among other villages mentioned in region. The name also rhymes with the way the natives of the village sound the village in their native dialect,  Keurkyune, Kurkunu.

It is said that there was a small church at the site of ​​the current cemetery, called St. Stepanos. The Kessabi call a site where once a church stood, geghetsik (կիղիցիկ) . In all geghetsiks,  you will find an oak tree, which is sacred and is said to be protected  by the spiritual saint, geghetsik Baboug, whose spirit continues to  live at the site. No one thinks of cutting down this oak tree. No one cuts feed from it for livestock or for warming a tonir, the oven where the villagers baked bread.  Cutting from geghetsi oak tree is considered a sin. Such oak trees are revered, not only by the local native Armenians; but also by the Alevis.

One of the elders of Keurkune, Sirvart Apelian, born Chelebian, told (in 1980) that her great-grandfather’s father, was named Stepanos, and was a close friend of the last priest, Father Stepanos of the small chapel that stood there.  Father Stepanos had asked him to have him buried at the chapel’s door, “When I die, bury me at the chapel’s doo”,  Father Stepanos had said. He was considered a holy man. The legend that has passed down is that Father Stepanos disappeared. The villagers searched for him in vain for a long time. After the disappearance of Father Stepanos, the chapel had no other priest. It remained abandoned but did not loose its sanctity. It became a site for pilgrimage.  In time the building collapsed into a heap of stones. The village became predominantly evangelical and had a church built in 1899.

There still is a belief among the people of the village that the spirit of Father Stepanos continues to live there. Fearing livestock epidemics and other diseases, villagers drive their herds of goats to the pilgrimage site by the oak tree. The first animal that jumped over the threshold of the heap of stones,  at the site, would be sacrificed on the spot, to save the herd from diseases.

The Alevis and Turkmen also believed in the power of the sanctuary. They used to call the village Ziarat Köy (village of the sanctuary).

The thorny oak next to the altar is now a huge tree. As the three grew, stones from the chapel became part of the trunk of the oak tree. Some of the stones are half buried in its trunk and are still. Pilgrims place coins in the hollowed parts of the trunk under the embedded stones.  Offerings are still made under the oak tree by sacrificing a rooster."

Keurkune Cemetery oak tree Courtesy Stepan Apelian

Բնագիրը՝ ՓՇԱԿԱՂՆԻՆ

Երէկ այցելեցի այս ծառը, Քէօրքիւնէ գիւղ, գերեզմանատուն:

Քէօրքիւնէն շրջանին հնագոյն գիւղերէն մէկն է: Այդպէս մտածել կու տան գիւղացիներու հին զրոյցները եւ հայոց հետ կապուած գիւղի սրբատեղին: Անտիոքի խաչակիր Ռենալտ դուքսին կողմէ պատրաստուած պարգեւագրի մը մէջ, Անտիոքի հարաւը յիշուած այլ գիւղերու շարքին կը հանդիպինք նաեւ Corcona գիւղի մը: Անունը կը համընկնի նաեւ Քէօրքիւնէի բարբառային ձեւին` Քուրքունու: 

Այստեղ եղեր է Ս․ Ստեփանոս անուն փոքրիկ եկեղեցի, այժմու գերեզմանատան տարածքին մէջ: Քեսապցիք խոնարհած եկեղեցիներու վայրը կը կոչեն կիղիցիկ: Բոլոր կիղիցիկներուն մէջ դուք կը տեսնէք փշակաղնի ծառը: Կիղիցիկներուն մէջ երեւցող փշակաղնին անձեռմխելի է ու կը պաշտպանուի տարածքին մէջ ապրոց ոգեղէն սուրբի մը՝ Կիղիցիկ պապուկին կողմէ: Ոչ ոք այս ծառը հատել կը մտածէ, ոչ ոք անկէ ցախ կը կտրէ անասուններուն կամ թոնիրի համար: Մեղք ունի, պաշտելի է: Ի դէպ, սրբավայրերու մէջ երեւցող փշակաղնին անձեռնմխելի է ոչ միայն հայոց կողմէ․ ալեւիներն ալ իրենց սրբավայրերուն մէջ կը պահեն ու կը պահպանեն այդ ծառը։

Գիւղի տարեցներէն Սիրվարդ Աբէլեանը, ծնեալ Չէլէպեան, կը պատմէր (1980-ին), թէ իր մեծ հօր հայրը՝ Ստեփանոս անուն, եղած է մատռան վերջին եկեղեցականին՝ Տէր Ստեփանոսի մտերիմ բարեկամը։ Իբր Տէր Ստեփանոս կը ցաւի եղեր իր խեղճացած հօտին ու անշքացած եկեղեցւոյ համար։ Ան խնդրած է գիւղացի Ստեփանոսէն, թէ «երբ մեռնիմ, զիս եկեղեցւոյ դուռը թաղեցէք»։ Սուրբ մարդ նկատուած է Տէր Ստեփանոսը։ Ծերունի հոգեւորականը կ’անյայտանայ: Գիւղացիք ի զուր կը փնտռեն զինք երկար ժամանակ: Տէր Ստեփանոսէն ետք մատուռը ուրիշ եկեղեցական չ՛ունենար։ Կը լքուի, բայց իր սրբութիւնը չի կորսնցներ, ուխտատեղի կը դառնայ։ Շէնքը կը փլի։ Գիւղը մեծամասնութեամբ աւետարանական կը դառնայ․աւետարանական եկեղեցին կը կառուցուի 1899-ին։

Ժողովուրդին մէջ հաւատք կայ, թէ Ստեփանոս քահանան ոգեղինացած դեռ կ՛ապրի այդ սուրբ վայրին մէջ, ուր ոմանց կը յայտնուի քունի ընթացքին, կը ճանչցուի Կիղիցիկ Պապուկ անունով։ 

Անասուններու համաճարակէ ու այլ հիւանդութիւններէ վախցած գիւղացիք իրենց այծերու հօտերը կը քշէին ուխտատեղի։ Խորանին պատուանդանին վրայ ցատկող առաջին կենդանին մատաղցու կ՛ընտրէին ու տեղւոյն վրայ կը զենէին։ Ասիկա հօտը հիւանդութիւններէ կը փրկէր։

Սրբավայրի զօրութեան հաւատացած են նաեւ ալեւիներն ու թուրքմէնները։ Անոնք նախապէս գիւղին կու տային Զիարաթ Քէօյ (սրբավայրի գիւղ) անունը։

Խորանին կից գտնուող փշոտ կաղնին այժմ վիթխարի ծառ է, պատատուկը փաթթուեր է ցօղունին։ Աճման ընթացքին խորանի պատը հետզհետէ մնացած է ցօղունին մէջ։ Անոր մէջ կիսովին թաղուած քանի մը քարեր տակաւին կ՛երեւին։ Մէկուն տակ գոյացած խոռոչին մէջ ուխտաւորներ մետաղադրամներ կը դնեն, իսկ ծառին տակ ուխտի աքլորներ կը մորթեն։

Յակոբ Չոլաքեան

Keurkune Cemetery oak tree Courtesy Stepan Apelian

Hovhannes Tumanyan: Toast to the virgins

Vaհe  H Apelian

Hovhannes Tumanyan is endearingly referred to as the “All-Armenian Poet”. He is known for hosting in his fourth-floor house in Tiblisi, Georgia, social gatherings of who’s who in the Armenian world. His house came to known as the "vernatun" (vernadoun), that is to say the upper floor. The term has entered in the Armenian lexicon for informal get together of those who matter.

The vernatun (vernadoun) existed for a number of years. The gathering became the cornerstone of the "Caucasian Society of Armenian Writers", which was founded in 1922, with Hovhannes Toumanian as its president.

The following anecdote, in translation,  pertains to such a gathering. 

«Once, at one of the usual dinners at Hovhannes. Tumanyan's house, a group of writers and other intellectuals - teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. - were present. Bishop Mesrop (note: Mesrop (baptismal name: Parsadan) Vardan Ter-Movsisyan (May 7, 1865, Shikahogh, Armenia - June 3, 1939[1], Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR), a master of Armenian philology), who was personally close to Tumanyan, was also present. Among the household members at the table was also Mrs. Tumanyan with her two eldest children, Mushegh and Miss Ashkhen.

The toastmaster, of course, was Hovhannes Tumanyan.

It so happened that Tumanyan divided the attendees into pairs and proposed a toast to each of the attendees in pairs.

-Let's drink a toast to our two novelists, Shirvan (Shirvanzade) and Avetis (Aharonian)... And this is a toast to our two poets, Avo (Isahakyan) and Derenik (Demirchyan)... And this is a toast to our two doctors...

Thus one by one, everyone present was toasted, except Bishop Mesrob. 

Tumanyan stood up with his glass in hand. The same question arose in the minds of everyone present: how would Tumanyan pair Bishop Mesrop who was the only celibate at the table?

The clever Tumanyan had certainly had already figured a way out. But what was that way out? We were all impatient to know.

-Now the toast to our pontiff remains, - said Tumanyan and glanced quickly at Bishop Mesrop, and then at his eldest daughter, the young lady Ashkhen.

-I propose to drink this glass as a toast to the two virgins sitting at the table with us, Bishop Mesrop and my Ashkhen...

Although Bishop Mesrop blushed, he laughed heartily and heartily with the others.»

The picture of the painting posted below  is the artist’s rendering of some of the notables in Armenian history who met in Hovhannes Tumanyan’s house. Not all who attended the get together in the Tumanyan’s upper floor apartment were always men of letters. It is claimed that General Antranig attended also whenever he was in Tbilisi. It is also said that he was a superb raconteur and mesmerized his audience.

The following are depicted in the painting.

1. ԱԼԵՔՍԱՆԴՐ ՍՊԵՆԴԻԱՐՅԱՆ (ALEXANDER SPENDIARYAN)

Born on November 1, 1871 in Kakhovka, Ukraine

Died on May 7, 1928 in Yerevan, Armenia

Alexander Afanasyevich Spendiaranov was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor, founder of Armenian national symphonic music. 

2. ԱԼԵՔՍԱՆԴՐ ՇԻՐՎԱՆԶԱԴԵ (ALEXANDER SHIRVANZADE)

Born on April 18, 1858 in Sirvan, Azerbaijan

Died on August 7, 1936, Kislovodsk, Russia

Alexander Movsisian, better known by his pen name Alexander Shirvanzade, was  an Armenian playwright and novelist.

3. ԳևՈՐԳ ԲԱՇԻՆՋԱՂՅԱՆ (GEVORG PASHINJAGHIAN)

Born on  October 28, 1857 in Sighnaghi, Georgia

Died on October 4, 1925 in Tbilisi, Georgia

He was an Armenian painter who had a significant influence  on Armenian landscape painting.

4. ՎԱՀԱՆ ՏԵՐՅԱՆ (VAHAN TERIAN)

Born on January 28, 1885 in Tiflis Governorate

Died on January 7, 1920 in Orenburg, Russia

Was an Armenian poet, lyrist, and public activist. He is known for hos sorrowful, romantic poems, the most famous of which are still read and sung in their musical versions.

5. ՂԱԶԱՐՈՍ ԱՂԱՅԱՆ (GHAZAROS AGHAYAN) 

Born on  April 4, 1840 in Tiflis Governorate

Died on July 20, 1911 in Tbilisi, Georgia

He was an Armenian writer, educator, folklorist, historian, linguist and public figure.

6. ԴԵՐԵՆԻԿ ԴԵՄԻՐՃՅԱՆ (TERENIG DEMIRCHIAN) 

Born on February 6, 1877 in Tbilisi

Died on December 6, 1936 in Yerevan.

He was an Armenian writer, novelist, poet, translator, and playwright

7.ՊԵՏՐՈՍ ԱԴԱՄՅԱՆ (BEDROS ADAMIAN)

Born on 1849, Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire

Died on June 3, 1891, Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire

He was an outstanding Armenian actor, poet, artist and pubic figure. According to Russian critics his interpretation of Hamlet and Othello put Adamian’s name among the best tragedians of the world.

8. ՎԱՐԴԳԵՍ ՍՈՒՐԵՆՅԱՆՑ (VARTGES SURENIANTS)

Born on February 27, 1860 Akhaltsikhe, Georgia

Died on April 6, 1921, Yalta

He was an Armenian painter, sculptor, illustrator, translator, art critic , and theater artist. He is considered the founder of Armenian historical painting. His paintings feature scenes from Armenian fairy-tales and various historical events.

9. ՄԱՐՏԻՐՈՍ ՍԱՐՅԱՆ (MARDIROS SARIAN) 

Born on February 28, 1880 in Nakhichevan-on-Don, Russia

Died on May 5, 1972 in Yerevan, Armenia 

He was an Armenian painter, the founder of modern Armenian national school of painting.

10. ԵՂԻՇԵ ԹԱԴևՈՍՅԱՆ, (YEGHISH TATIOSSIAN)  (1870-1936)

Born on September 14, 1870, in Vagharshabad (Armenia) 

Died on January 27, 1936,  in Tblisi, Georgia 

He was a famous Armenian landscape painter. This year (1920) the Armenian government celebrated the 150the anniversary of his birth.

11. ԿՈՄԻՏԱՍ (KOMIDAS) 

Born on October 8 1869 in Kutahya, Turkey 

Died on October 22 , 1935 Villejuif, France

He was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer and choirmaster who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of music. He is recognized as the one of the pioneers of the ethnomusicology.

12. ՍՏԵՓԱՆ ԼԻՍԻՑՅԱՆ (STEPAN LISITSYAN)

Born on October 4, 1865, Tbilisi, Georgia

Died on January 4, 1947, Yerevan, Armenia 

He was an Armenian historian, translator, pet an public figure.

13. Ավետիք Իսահակյան (AVETIK ISAHAKYAN) 

Born on October 30, 1875 in Gyumri, Armenia

Died on October 17, 1957 in Yerevan, Armenia

He was a prominent Armenian lyric poet, writer, and public activist.

14. ՀԱԿՈԲ ՀԱԿՈԲՅԱՆ (HAKOB HAKOBYAN)

He was born on May 29, 1866, in Tblisi

Died on December 13, 1937 in Tbilisi, Georgia

He was a poet, translator and an influential writer. 

15. ՀՈՎՀԱՆՆԵՍ ԹՈՒՄԱՆՅԱՆ (HOVHANNES TOUMANYAN) 

Born on February 10, 1869, Lori Province, Armenia

Died on March 23, 1928 in Moscow, Russia

He was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia. Tumanyan wrote poems, quatrains, ballads, novels, fables, and critics and journalistic articles.

Note: I would like to thank Paris Erganian for noting my error and correcting the biographical information about Hagob Hagobyan/Hagop Hagopian), 10/21/2021 

Hovhannes Tumanyan toasting: An anecdote

 Vaհe  H Apelian

Hovhannes Tumanyan is endearingly referred to as the “All-Armenian Poet”. He is known for hosting in his fourth-floor house in Tiblisi, Georgia, social gatherings of who’s who in the Armenian world. His house came to known as the "vernatun" (vernadoun), that is to say the upper floor. The term has entered in the Armenian lexicon for informal get together of those who matter.

The vernatun (vernadoun) existed for a number of years. The gathering became the cornerstone of the "Caucasian Society of Armenian Writers", which was founded in 1922, with Hovhannes Toumanian as its president.

The following anecdote, in translation,  pertains to such a gathering. 

«Once, at one of the usual dinners at Hovhannes. Tumanyan's house, a group of writers and other intellectuals - teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc. - were present. Bishop Mesrop (note: Mesrop (baptismal name: Parsadan) Vardan Ter-Movsisyan (May 7, 1865, Shikahogh, Armenia - June 3, 1939[1], Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR), a master of Armenian philology), who was personally close to Tumanyan, was also present. Among the household members at the table was also Mrs. Tumanyan with her two eldest children, Mushegh and Miss Ashkhen.

The toastmaster, of course, was Hovhannes Tumanyan.

It so happened that Tumanyan divided the attendees into pairs and proposed a toast to each of the attendees in pairs.

-Let's drink a toast to our two novelists, Shirvan (Shirvanzade) and Avetis (Aharonian)... And this is a toast to our two poets, Avo (Isahakyan) and Derenik (Demirchyan)... And this is a toast to our two doctors...

Thus one by one, everyone present was toasted, except Bishop Mesrob. 

Tumanyan stood up with his glass in hand. The same question arose in the minds of everyone present: how would Tumanyan pair Bishop Mesrop who was the only celibate at the table?

The clever Tumanyan had certainly had already figured a way out. But what was that way out? We were all impatient to know.

-Now the toast to our pontiff remains, - said Tumanyan and glanced quickly at Bishop Mesrop, and then at his eldest daughter, the young lady Ashkhen.

-I propose to drink this glass as a toast to the two virgins sitting at the table with us, Bishop Mesrop and my Ashkhen...

Although Bishop Mesrop blushed, he laughed heartily and heartily with the others.»

The picture of the painting posted below  is the artist’s rendering of some of the notables in Armenian history who met in Hovhannes Tumanyan’s house. Not all who attended the get together in the Tumanyan’s upper floor apartment were always men of letters. It is claimed that General Antranig attended also whenever he was in Tbilisi. It is also said that he was a superb raconteur and mesmerized his audience.

The following are depicted in the painting.

1. ԱԼԵՔՍԱՆԴՐ ՍՊԵՆԴԻԱՐՅԱՆ (ALEXANDER SPENDIARYAN)

Born on November 1, 1871 in Kakhovka, Ukraine

Died on May 7, 1928 in Yerevan, Armenia

Alexander Afanasyevich Spendiaranov was a Russian and Soviet composer, conductor, founder of Armenian national symphonic music. 

2. ԱԼԵՔՍԱՆԴՐ ՇԻՐՎԱՆԶԱԴԵ (ALEXANDER SHIRVANZADE)

Born on April 18, 1858 in Sirvan, Azerbaijan

Died on August 7, 1936, Kislovodsk, Russia

Alexander Movsisian, better known by his pen name Alexander Shirvanzade, was  an Armenian playwright and novelist.

3. ԳևՈՐԳ ԲԱՇԻՆՋԱՂՅԱՆ (GEVORG PASHINJAGHIAN)

Born on  October 28, 1857 in Sighnaghi, Georgia

Died on October 4, 1925 in Tbilisi, Georgia

He was an Armenian painter who had a significant influence  on Armenian landscape painting.

4. ՎԱՀԱՆ ՏԵՐՅԱՆ (VAHAN TERIAN)

Born on January 28, 1885 in Tiflis Governorate

Died on January 7, 1920 in Orenburg, Russia

Was an Armenian poet, lyrist, and public activist. He is known for hos sorrowful, romantic poems, the most famous of which are still read and sung in their musical versions.

5. ՂԱԶԱՐՈՍ ԱՂԱՅԱՆ (GHAZAROS AGHAYAN) 

Born on  April 4, 1840 in Tiflis Governorate

Died on July 20, 1911 in Tbilisi, Georgia

He was an Armenian writer, educator, folklorist, historian, linguist and public figure.

6. ԴԵՐԵՆԻԿ ԴԵՄԻՐՃՅԱՆ (TERENIG DEMIRCHIAN) 

Born on February 6, 1877 in Tbilisi

Died on December 6, 1936 in Yerevan.

He was an Armenian writer, novelist, poet, translator, and playwright

7.ՊԵՏՐՈՍ ԱԴԱՄՅԱՆ (BEDROS ADAMIAN)

Born on 1849, Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire

Died on June 3, 1891, Constantinople (Istanbul), Ottoman Empire

He was an outstanding Armenian actor, poet, artist and pubic figure. According to Russian critics his interpretation of Hamlet and Othello put Adamian’s name among the best tragedians of the world.

8. ՎԱՐԴԳԵՍ ՍՈՒՐԵՆՅԱՆՑ (VARTGES SURENIANTS)

Born on February 27, 1860 Akhaltsikhe, Georgia

Died on April 6, 1921, Yalta

He was an Armenian painter, sculptor, illustrator, translator, art critic , and theater artist. He is considered the founder of Armenian historical painting. His paintings feature scenes from Armenian fairy-tales and various historical events.

9. ՄԱՐՏԻՐՈՍ ՍԱՐՅԱՆ (MARDIROS SARIAN) 

Born on February 28, 1880 in Nakhichevan-on-Don, Russia

Died on May 5, 1972 in Yerevan, Armenia 

He was an Armenian painter, the founder of modern Armenian national school of painting.

10. ԵՂԻՇԵ ԹԱԴևՈՍՅԱՆ, (YEGHISH TATIOSSIAN)  (1870-1936)

Born on September 14, 1870, in Vagharshabad (Armenia) 

Died on January 27, 1936,  in Tblisi, Georgia 

He was a famous Armenian landscape painter. This year (1920) the Armenian government celebrated the 150the anniversary of his birth.

11. ԿՈՄԻՏԱՍ (KOMIDAS) 

Born on October 8 1869 in Kutahya, Turkey 

Died on October 22 , 1935 Villejuif, France

He was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer and choirmaster who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of music. He is recognized as the one of the pioneers of the ethnomusicology.

12. ՍՏԵՓԱՆ ԼԻՍԻՑՅԱՆ (STEPAN LISITSYAN)

Born on October 4, 1865, Tbilisi, Georgia

Died on January 4, 1947, Yerevan, Armenia 

He was an Armenian historian, translator, pet an public figure.

13. Ավետիք Իսահակյան (AVETIK ISAHAKYAN) 

Born on October 30, 1875 in Gyumri, Armenia

Died on October 17, 1957 in Yerevan, Armenia

He was a prominent Armenian lyric poet, writer, and public activist.

14. ՀԱԿՈԲ ՀԱԿՈԲՅԱՆ (HAKOB HAKOBYAN)

He was born on May 29, 1866, in Tblisi

Died on December 13, 1937 in Tbilisi, Georgia

He was a poet, translator and an influential writer. 

15. ՀՈՎՀԱՆՆԵՍ ԹՈՒՄԱՆՅԱՆ (HOVHANNES TOUMANYAN) 

Born on February 10, 1869, Lori Province, Armenia

Died on March 23, 1928 in Moscow, Russia

He was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia. Tumanyan wrote poems, quatrains, ballads, novels, fables, and critics and journalistic articles.

Note: I would like to thank Paris Erganian for noting my error and correcting the biographical information about Hagob Hagobyan/Hagop Hagopian), 10/21/2021