“Armenia 🇦🇲 ~Happy New Year and a Little Somethin-Somethin!”

• January 1, 2021
• By Pen n Daryl
• 4 Comments

Here in our time zone we are awake and taking in another brand New Year! We are glad it’s here, like every year, but perhaps we are just a little happier THIS year, that 2020 is now in the past, and 2021 could very possibly show many improvements! If you are reading this, it means you are still kicking, and for this, we are grateful! We value our family and friends. ❤️

I thought on this first Day of 2021, I would share about some Armenian New Year Traditions we find interesting; especially since we noted Christmas did not appear to be the big celebration, here, as it is in other countries; including our home country of America 🇺🇸. In Armenia, the celebration begins December 31st and lasts for a week! After the New is is rung in, then the guest-host chain begins. People visit each other’s homes throughout the first week of the New Year.

We noted the excitement, on December 31st, when our, normally, very quiet no-name hotel, was all of a sudden; well, not! How I wish I could have gotten videos and photos of a group of elder Armenian men, who filled the private room of the dining area and celebrated. Why only men? I have no idea. Perhaps a group of war veterans, and/or widowers would be my only guess. We were eating dinner, when we saw the elders come in, around 5PM. We noted they were all dressed up in their finest. They began to fill the private room and wow, did they celebrate! The private room, is right below our suite, on the second floor, and they sang amazingly well. It would seem to me, to be traditional songs in their language, and sang for hours; beginning around 10PM, and not stop till around 1AM. I did not see that coming! I was tired and wanted to sleep, but I was also intrigued, listening to their songs. It was a new experience, and I love new experiences!

Earlier in the day, on December 31st, we left the hotel early and made a full-day road-trip to visits some more medieval sites. (photos coming). On our return trip, we noticed plenty of locals; dressed-up in their finest, out visiting their friends and loved ones’ graves at the cemeteries. Layers of fresh flowers covered graves, and smoke billowed all around the grave markers.

For the tight-knit Armenian families, the death of a loved one is devastating, so when one goes, trying to keep their memory alive by any means possible is almost internally programmed. A cemetery visit without “khoong;” that pungent incense used during Catholic church services, doesn’t seem right. Armenian paper is a type of incense that has been produced for centuries. The paper is infused with essences, fragrances or essential oils in order to achieve a perfuming or cleansing effect. The khoong’s rising smoke is said to represent “prayers going up to God.” Some Armenians believe when a relative departs this earthy world, they go to live among the spirits on Mount Ararat.

Moving on from the cemeteries around Armenia…According to some, the New Year in the Armenian tradition is a symbol of the renewal and rethinking of the past. The ancient Armenians had very interesting thoughtful cycles of New Year’s customs and beliefs, some of which are still preserved in many Armenian villages, today. Since ancient times, on New Year’s Eve, Armenian families lit a fire around which family members gathered. The meaning of this tradition was “giving” all bad memories, mistakes to the fire and receiving heat and light from the fire so that the next year would be brighter and warmer.

In addition, on New Year Eve, Armenian girls hurry to the river, lake or whatever water system was near to them, so they could throw a piece of traditional Armenian New Year’s bread in, as if to bless the water.

Tarehat Bread is an important part of the Armenian New Year’s Eve midnight meal. The bread was decorated with animal figures or, later, with small figures of temples. Bread personified a request to the pagan gods to send a fertile year. A bean, coin or small button is baked into the bread, and the person who finds the trinket in their slice will enjoy good fortune in the coming year. NOTE: We just love this sweet bread of Armenia. It has a sweet center that melts in our mouths!

In addition, the head of the family raises the first glass of sprits, blesses the bounty on the table, and congratulates the family on the New Year. It is then, a taste of honey is offered around the table, so that there would be many sweet days in the coming year. AND, only sweet words are allowed to be spoken.

It is interesting to mention that in ancient Armenia there was a widespread tradition of hanging knitted socks to the “yerdik” (a type of chimney) in which gifts were put. Many nations of the West have a similar tradition, at Christmastime.

Good or bad fortune Telling: One way was by putting an egg in its shell on a plate, then cover with with ashes and colors. If, in the next morning, it is found the colors stand out more than ashes on the shell, then it is going to be a special year. It is also a custom to dress up a domestic animal (mostly cows) and in the morning take it out to the yard. By letting it loose to wander back to the barn; they are watched, closely, as it crosses the barn threshold with its right leg, first. If so, congratulation, it is going to be a fantastic year!

To finish up this blog post, I want to share with y’all about a delicious Traditional Armenian dish, which has become our absolute favorite, here! We have been fortunate enough to stay at a no-name hotel, where we have actually requested certain dishes, and they have done their best to comply. Its a small town experience, we are loving. After I learned about the history behind this particular dish, I became even more fascinated. Allow me to share!

Harissa

This dish called Harissa, is humble in composition, yet carries the weight of a nation. Being a national dish of Armenia, Harissa was served to Pilgrims and the poor in Armenian Monasteries since antiquity.  It represents the courage of the Armenian people, during the 1915 resistance to the Armenian Genocide in Musa Ler; a mountainous village located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. To this day, Armenians in Armenia and the Diaspora gather to celebrate the persistence and escape of our predecessors. 

Harissa, once cooked, is similar to a thick porridge in appearance, but is unlike those we generally associate with; like oatmeal or grits.  It is neither a breakfast cereal nor a snack; rather a complete nutritional one-dish meal.  A mush of two basic ingredients: Meat and Wheat Berries.

For those who feel ambitious, here is the recipe. If you try it, let me know how you enjoyed this dish!

Harissa ~An Armenian Meat and Wheat Porridge

The recipe posted here, is very basic.  It does not reflect changes in territory, local ingredients and creativity of people, nor personal preferences.  It is just the way Armenian monks prepared it in ancient times. Feel free to substitute chicken for beef, add the layers of flavor and cook it down to a creamier consistency. So hardy, satisfying and filling, especially on a cold, winters evening!

1 2/3-to-2 cups pearled raw wheat berries

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 lbs trimmed meat, cut into large cubes * Chuck roast, Tri-Tip roast, English-cut short ribs. NOTE: chicken can also be used in this dish

7 cups cold water, plus more as needed

Salt (Armenians use a lot of salt in their food, so I would recommend a salt-to-taste method, instead; if, like us, you do not use a lot of salt in your cooking

Clarified Butter or Olive Oil (we like sweet butter)

Red Aleppo or Chili Pepper (optional) We do not care for spicy foods, so we enjoy the savory favors of this dish without the bite. but add this, item, if you want the bite!

Cumin

*Thoroughly rinse wheat berries in cold water, drain and transfer into a medium pot.  

*Add some sugar and just enough water to cover grains by three inches

*Bring to a fast boil then turn off heat

*Remove white foam forming on the surface Cover pot and set on the counter for two hours or more while you prep remaining ingredients

*Add 7 cups of water to pressure cooker and bring to a boil. NOTE: if you do not have a pressure cooking pot you can use a regular stew pot. If you do this, give more time to cook this dish. I like the pressure cooker pot, because its speeds up the cooking time, by quite a bit.

*Carefully drop meat pieces into pot, bring it back to a rolling boil, and then turn it down to a low simmer

*Skim off any foam that forms on the surface

*Close the lid and wait for the pressure to build up. Start cooking under pressure for 30 minutes

*If needed, drain wheat berries that have been soaking in water, but do not rinse

*Once pressure is released, open lid and ladle meat into a bowl

*Strain broth using a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl then return back to pressure cooker with meat pieces

*Add wheat berries, cover, and cook under pressure for 60-to-80 minutes

*Release pressure once more and cook porridge uncovered; stirring with a large wooden spatula spoon, until thickened and cooked to your liking. You may add more boiling water if need to

*Turn off heat and season with salt (again, watch the salt) 

*Melt butter or heat olive oil in a saucepan, add a little red pepper (optional) and stir cook for about a minute before you add the cumin. The amount of Cumin is to your liking, as well.

*Serve Harissa hot with butter/oil drizzled on top. Or, have the butter, red pepper and cumin individually on the side for everyone to add as they like.

Note: We have eaten this dish with chicken being used for the meat. It appears to be shredded chicken and it is so tasty!

Here is praying, all the cows crossed the threshold with their right legs, and the colors were vibrant on the eggs, for 2021!