Last month Armenia’s cultural heritage took centre stage for another successful edition of its annual European Heritage Days celebrations. On the last weekend of September, over 100 cultural sites throughout the country celebrated the common heritage and shared values. The common theme "Arts and Entertainment" allowed for numerous interpretations of local heritage, providing visitors with a unique learning experience.

From exhibitions and educational programmes to movie screenings, guided walks and various musical and dance performances, the most widely celebrated cultural festival in Europe offered an impressive insight into the historical development of arts and entertainment in Armenia.

Opening Ceremony

On Saturday, 28 September, The Amberd Castle Historical-Cultural Museum- reserve hosted the official opening ceremony. Organised by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia and the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, the event marked a truly remarkable beginning of the 2019 heritage celebrations. The historical site served as the focal point for heritage-inspired events that highlighted the gems of Armenia’s diverse culture. 

Jesters, rope walkers, clowns, dancers, magicians, folk dancers and theatrical performers transformed the entire area into a stage where the past and the present of Armenian cultural heritage came together to paint a vivid picture to hundreds of visitors.

Aiming to bring heritage closer to children and teenagers in Armenia, the programme for this year offered special participatory events dedicated to the younger generations of heritage enthusiasts. Groups of schoolchildren from the region of Aragatsotn took part in the opening event programme. In addition to this, various educational activities were introduced throughout the festival weekend. The "Run, Listen, Know" educational program, which combined classical music with cycling, sparked great interest among the younger generations.

The Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Arayik Harutyunyan, and Andrea Wiktorin, Ambassador, and Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, made opening speeches.

“Armenia is a member of the European cultural family, one of the 50 countries participating in the European Heritage Days. The theme of this year is “Arts and Entertainment” which allows presenting our diverse culture in its full beauty. It is a great opportunity to communicate, to discover our cultural heritage in a new way, to evaluate and spread it via various events", commented Mr Arayik Harutyunyan, ESCS Minister.

“The European Heritage Days are a great opportunity for all of us to be reminded about the cultural heritage left by our ancestors. We all should value this heritage and conserve it for the future generations”, noted Andrea Wiktorin, Ambassador, Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia.”

After the welcome speeches, the guests joined the speakers in a tour around the pavilions.

Visitors at the opening event had a unique opportunity to enjoy an impromptu performance by the Estonian chamber choir "Flora" from Tallinn.

In addition to the exciting opening event, various projects during the festival inspired local and international guests to rediscover some of the most interesting cultural landmarks of the country. Exhibitions of soil art in the Erebuni Museum, the temporary exhibition "Treasures of Erebuni", the opening of a statue with horses, chariots and soldiers, and the “Let’s excavate together” educational project are some of the programme’s highlights.

The Zvartnots Historical-Cultural Museum-reserve organized a stargazing event. On 28 September, visitors had a special opportunity to learn about space using high-quality telescopes available especially for the occasion of the European Heritage Days festival.

 

These are just some of the activities which presented the diverse cultural heritage of Armenia in its full glory. The entertainment forms presented at European Heritage Days 2019 encouraged visitors to view the heritage from a new angle. The intersections of different historical periods and disciplines underlined the common values shared by all European nations.