On September 21^st is the Independence Day of Armenia! We wish a very happy celebration to all our amazing team members from Armenia! We are very happy and proud to have you in our Nobel team!

Our lovely Nobel Country Ambassador from Armenia – Jemma Avagyan was kind enough to help us with some insights regarding her home country, so we invite you to join us below in discovering interesting aspects of the Armenian culture, food, daily life, travel attractions and more:

• These are some of the myths, legends or superstitions from the Armenian folklore:

• Mount Ararat is traditionally considered the resting place of Noah’s Ark. In the Book of Genesis, the mountain Ararat (biblical Hebrew הָרֵי אֲרָרָט, Tiberian hārê ‘Ǎrārāṭ, Septuagint: τὰ ὄρη τὰ Ἀραράτ) is the name for the region where Noah’s ark comes to rest after the Flood.

• Mount Ara is named after Ara the Beautiful, the legendary king of Armenia. The story of Ara the Beautiful tells how the Assyrian queen Semiramis fell deeply in love with Ara. She wanted to unite Assyria and Armenia and rule these two kingdoms together with her beloved. However, all her efforts were in vain, as Ara was not interested in her. Semiramis’ heart was broken and she declared war on Armenia, hoping in this way to get Ara the Beautiful. The battle took place and Ara was killed.

• Another legend about Artos mountain tells that when Noah’s Ark reaches Mount Korapash and wants to rest on it, the mountain bows leading the way to the mountain in front of it. After reaching the mountain, Noah says, “Ar Noahs” (take my soul). That is how the mountain got the name Artos.

• Legend has it that at the Khor Virap Monastery fortress, on that hill, under the church, was a prison pit where people on death row would be kept. The king at the time was Trdat, a faithful servant to the pagan gods. Meanwhile, Saint Gregory was preaching Christianity in a pagan Armenia. Moreover, King Trdat believed his father was killed by Gregory’s father. And for these reasons, he confined Gregory the Illuminator, bound hand and foot, in the prison. Gregory languished in prison for 13 years, surviving thanks to the poor Christian women who secretly provided him with food every day. Serendipitously, Gregory was rescued by Trdat’s sister, Princess Khosrovidukht. In a dream, she saw that Gregory was the only man who could save her brother from madness and other debilitating ailments. The dream came to her a fourth and fifth time, and it was only then that they agreed to go to Artashat and lower a rope into the prison pit. Gregory was released from Khor Virap, and he shortly thereafter cured the king of his unusual symptoms. From that day, Trdat became the most loyal and dedicated supporter of Christianity.

• Besides the Independence Day celebration, other special occasions in the Armenian calendar include The Republic Day, Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day and Vardavar Festival Day.

• Some of the delicious Armenian staple foods that can be found on every local’s table are:

• Khorovats – this is the main dish of any party and gathering in Armenia. There is even an annual festival dedicated to it.

• Dolma – this is minced meat and spiced rice wrapped in vine or cabbage leaves.

• Lavash – Armenian bread

• Basturma – air-dried cured beef 

• Khash – souop of boiling parts of cow or sheep, including the head, feet, and stomach.

• Armenian Coffee – Millions of Armenians drink coffee at least three times a day. You’ll find traditional Armenian coffee in every single restaurant and coffee shop.

• Some of the trending songs in Armenian music at the moment are: Brunette, Kami Friends — Arevin Mot; YereOne Project – Yars Sarin a; Nemra – Daisy.

• Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Artur Aleksanyan and Levon Aronian are some of the most loved sportsmen of this country.

• If you’re wondering about the cost of living in Armenia, our Country Ambassador Jemma shares a few prices with us:

• Cost of living for single person – $600 without rent (monthly)

• Rent – $450-$1000 (monthly)

• Public transportation – $26 (monthly)

• One night at the hotel/house – $32-$180

• Metro. Yerevan subway system has one line stretching from the north to the south of the city with 10 stations. The fare is 100 AMD ($0.26).

• Buses. There are buses running in major directions. The fare is 100 AMD ($0.26).

• Taxi Services. There are many taxi service offices, which accept orders by phone and offer comfortable cars. The fare is 100 AMD per km (the minimum fare is 800 AMD – $2.08). It is possible to take a taxi also at the crossroads and crowded places. Besides, there are special mobile applications, such as “GG”, “Yandex Taxi”, “Utaxi”, etc. (available for Android and iOS) which can be used to order a taxi.

• People usually live in the extended family with parents and siblings but in recent years people usually leave parents after marrying. As the main educational institutions are situated in the center of the city, if you live in the city Yerevan, there is no need to change location for the education, but if the students live far away, they usually move to Yerevan and rent a flat with their hometown acquaintances. Girls always rent houses with other girls, and boys rent houses with the other boys so they pay less.

• The Armenian education system consists of 12-year general secondary education (primary, basic and high school). Higher education is offered at three levels; Bachelor, Master & Doctorate Degrees.

• People in Armenia love to wear stylish outfits when they go somewhere. Styling differs, here you can see girls with nice dresses, boys and girls with hoodies, women with nice cocktail dresses. Usually people wear what they want, if they don’t work in the banks or in service department where they may have their specific uniform. More and more brightly colored, bolder, sometimes trendy and sometimes unusual apparel appear in Yerevan’s streets every year. Nowadays, Yerevan residents pay more attention and allot much more time to choosing their clothing than a few years ago. Girls usually do daily or evening makeup. People here like well-groomed appearance.

• Armenians drink coffee every day, 3 times a day, and drinking coffee in the morning is like a ceremony.

• People working in companies can have short breaks to smoke a cigarette together.

• There must always be Khorovats on the table if people celebrate something.

• Special places to visit:

• Destinations
  • Yerevan
  • Tsakhadzor
  • Dilijan
  • Sevan
  • Lori (Akhtala Fortress)
  • Goris
  • Gyumri
  • Jermuk
    
    
• Monasteries
  • Geghard Monastery
  • Goshavanq Monastery
  • Haghartsin Monastery
  • Haghpat Monastery
  • Harijavanq Monastery
  • Khor Virap Monastery
  • Makaravanq Monastery
  • Mother Cathedral of Holy Echmiadzin
  • Noravanq Monastery
  • Sagmosavanq Monastery
  • Sevanavank Monastery

• People can visit Yerevan city landmarks like:
  • Cascade
  • Republic Square
  • Matenadaran
  • Opera and Ballet Theatre

• Museums in the City Yerevan
• Sergey Parajanov Museum
• Yerevan Genocide Museum
• History Museum of Armenia

• Brandy Factories, Fortresses & more
  • Amberd Fortress
  • Ararat Brandy Factory
  • Areni-1 (Birds-Cave)
  • Erebuni Museum & Fortress
  • Garni Canyon Symphony of stones
  • Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery
  • Ijevan Wine Brandy Factory
  • Jermuk Hot Springs
  • Jermuk Ropeway
  • Jermuk Waterfall
  • Karahunj
  • Khndzoresk Caves
  • Shaki Waterfall

• You can check out the Republic Square of Armenia here and see other locations in Armenia here.

• The golden eagle is the national animal of Armenia. It’s a massive bird of prey that inhabits the mountains of Armenia. Its body is adorned with dark brown feathers, while its head features a striking crown of golden feathers. Other animals specific to Armenia are the Armenian Mouflon, the Armenian Bezoar Goat, the Armenian Viper.

• The national plant is the Marshmallow plant.

• Travelers usually go to Vernissage Market where they can find everything from traditional clothes to handmade chess and musical instruments.

• The longest word in the Armenian language is Արևաճաճանչաերկրափայլատակություն (Arevajajanchaerkrapaylatakutyun). It means more or less, “rays of sun lighting up everything”.

• Armenians add the word “jan” to the names to call someone in a pleasantly way, like David jan, Ben jan.

• There are many funny Armenian phrases that people say when they want to show their love to someone, like: Jigyard outem (English: I will eat your liver); Boyid mernem (English: Let me die on your height).

• The translation of “boyid mernem” is “Let me die on your height”. Normally it’s proclaimed in isolation and not as part of a sentence. This expression is often used by grandparents to show how proud they are of their grandchildren. Parents also tell that to their children quite often, although it feels a bit archaic when you say it. So, it’s more common among the older generation.

• The Armenian phrase “jigyard outem” means “I will eat your liver” if you translate it literally. If an Armenian says that to you, it means they love you so much that they are ready to eat you alive. Horrifying? It shouldn’t be! Of course, it’s not meant literally. In reality, there is so much love behind these words. It is just a way of expressing love in a weird Armenian way. This phrase is mostly used as a proclamation of love, rarely in a context of a longer sentence. Another way of expressing endearment in a similar manner is by saying “arevid mernem” (“Let me die on your sun”).
• “Glukhs mi arduki” – “Stop ironing my head”. You may say that to a person who is talking too much. If you are annoyed and you don’t want to listen to them, that’s when you say it! The English equivalent is “stop beating around the bush” or “cut to the chase”. You wouldn’t really use it in Armenia unless you’re really angry at someone.

• “Eshi akanjin qnats” – “Sleeping on donkey’s ear”. This phrase is used to describe an unaware and careless person.

• “Sirtd len pahi” – “Keep your heart wide”. It means stay positive, everything will be ok.