Marriage on Campus... Armenian Style (Winter 07)

by Talar Mardirossian

By the time 12 o’clock rolled around on Wednesday, February 21, a crowd had already gathered around the Bruin Plaza, all anticipating the start of the cultural festival of the year, the Armenian wedding. Tables were used to set a perimeter in front of the plaza, with chocolate gold coins displayed on them, which is a symbolic representation of the dowry presented to the groom by the father of the bride. As the musicians set up their equipment in front of a banner displaying the Armenian flag along with the name of the organization responsible for putting this event together, the Armenian Students’ Association (ASA), the performers were busy making last minute adjustments, as the crowd took the time to mingle amongst one another.

The event officially began with the boys entering from one side of the stage and the girls entering from the other side carrying gifts, which they later gave to the boys, while dancing to the music brought on by the musicians playing the dhol and zurna. With the entrance of the guests came the arrival of the bride and the groom.

It is traditional for the mother of the groom to place lavarsh bread on the shoulder of both the bride and groom as a sign of prosperity, which comes from the Pagan times, and is another way of blessing the couple. After the mother of the groom wrapped a green sash across the left shoulder of the groom and a red sash across the right one, she placed the lavarsh bread on the shoulders of the bride and groom.

After this traditional aspect of the wedding, the guests began to continue dancing, but this time, to the music of Hovannes Shahbazyan. It isn’t a true Armenian wedding without the presence and performance of at least one singer. To the luck of bride and groom, there were two singers, the other one being none other than Nersik Ispiryan.

After about the third song, two plates were placed in a plastic bag and set in front of the bride and groom.Together, they stepped on and broke the plates, symbolizing the start of their life together with peace and without any negative spirits or confrontations.

The dances conducted were as true to the traditions of Armenian culture as it can get. As the “bert” began to move in a circle, the excitement of the crowd jumped to an all high. The circle soon after broke apart as each of the four guys on the top jumped off and continued to dance.

The excitement grew as the event continued, and the music attracted students passing by, who stopped to view the event.

When the event was nearing to an end, everyone participating continued to dance with one another as they began to bring members of the crowd amongst them. As the crowd danced with the participants of wedding, it was truly a display of pride; pride for the Armenian culture and the traditions that go along with it.

Food served free of charge at the event, which included the traditional shish kabob and pilaf, all provided by The Golden Chicken.

The clothing that the participants wore was provided by Arman Vardanian and the Hayastan Dance and Music Studio. The articles of clothing included intricate patterns and a variety of colors, with the girls all wearing a head piece. The bride was dressed in a white gown with red and gold embellishments, while the groom included a brown vest with fur along the sides of the arms in his outfit.

The dancers practiced every Sunday for about two months; the practices were mostly conducted by the students themselves. Instructors were also brought in to help with putting this event together; the choreography was put together by instructors Arman Vardanian and the participants themselves.

There are seven sacraments of the Armenian Church, marriage being one of them. Every aspect of the ceremony, the gold coins, lavarsh, the red and green, and the crushing of plates, symbolizes a part of the Armenian culture. The traditions of the Armenian culture have survived hundreds of years and this remarkable re-enactment of a traditional wedding was a great way to showcase them.