Shnorhavor Nor Daree Yev Soorp Dzunoont!
These words ring through thousands of Armenian homes and churches at this time of year. Growing up in the United States, I always felt we had the best of both worlds in our hyphenated lives. Western Christmas was an opportunity to connect with our American life and participate in the public celebrations of Christmas. A few days later, the New Year brought renewal and a chance to make things better. Even though it was simply a calendar event, a new year programmed our thinking on new possibilities. After all, life is pretty ordinary in the absence of dreaming.
As Armenians, our great fortune was the celebration of both the birth and baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ on January 6. While fellow Americans lamented the secularization and commercialization of Christmas, Armenians could capture the essence of Christ’s birth and ministry here on earth. For many Armenians in America, our celebrations on December 25 are festive and about gift exchanges, while the new year leads us into a spiritual experience and a grounding in the reason for the season.
In my youth, Christmas was a two-week non-stop excursion of family, joy and faith. When I was a teenager, I learned from my Beirutsi friend about the connection between New Year’s and Armenian Christmas. In America, New Year’s is a pure celebratory event with parties and hangovers. It was enlightening to hear that, in the Middle East, the homeland and elsewhere, gifts are exchanged on New Year’s Eve and day. January 6 is a religious holiday when faith is expressed through Soorp Badarak and family gatherings. It was always a moment of pride to return to public school after the new year and I would share with my friends that our Christmas would arrive shortly. While they complained about relatives and an end to festivities, their envy grew when they learned about our blessings.
Armenian Christmas was one of the most important vehicles in helping me understand the importance of being unique and improving my self-esteem in our hyphenated existence. We had Santa but also worshipped the birth and baptism of our Lord. We enjoyed the Easter bunny but also focused on the overwhelming importance of the Resurrection of Our Lord. Our Armenian experiences are deeply rooted in our faith, which delivers the essential ingredient of life…hope. We all have watched our faith enable the hope to carry us through adverse moments in our lives. Without hope, life is empty and its source is our faith.
As we begin a new year, the hope immersed in our souls gives us the strength to dream, to achieve our God-given purpose and to share our gifts with others.
Living life with the light focused only on ourselves is aimless. Our time on earth is a treasure hunt to discover our gifts and share them for the betterment of others. It is the greatest joy we can experience. As we age and find joy in watching our children and grandchildren receive presents, it is natural to focus on the spiritual depth of this season.
We have many beautiful traditions in our Armenian church. Some are continued and some are discarded. Why are traditions so important? Traditions exist to connect one generation to the next, just as family traditions bond our branches. Tradition enables a critical mass of commonality to sustain a culture. A tradition should not be maintained simply because it exists, but rather due to its importance in sustaining an identity.
This is particularly true for identity in diaspora. Armenians in diaspora practice their traditions, culture and heritage. We also have the benefit of the homeland as a beacon of knowledge. As we struggle with assimilation, we have an opportunity to counter these challenges by offering the uniqueness of our heritage to non-Armenian spouses who seek more than the homogeneity of American society. Many have found an identity here in our communities but we must open our doors fully with integrating programs. Knowledge is a pillar of identity. During this season of hope and renewal, we remember what remains unfinished with the anticipation of continued progress.
The nearly century and a quarter of our western diaspora has evolved with a complicated network of communities, organizations and institutions — perhaps too complicated, when considering the need for change. In its simplest form, we need to work together and subordinate our egos to serve our global existence. Our record on this, frankly, has been mediocre. This is particularly dangerous for a small nation with the majority of its people scattered throughout the world. Resources must be used optimally to have our voices heard and our interests protected. We talk a good one but those in positions to institute harmony seem to find new ways of maintaining silos.
I am reluctant to use the word “unity” for two reasons. First, it seems to suggest to many an unnecessary constraint on diversity. In addition, the term has been tainted by the inability of our global church to resolve its internal differences, leaving the faithful to absorb the impact.
I prefer the wording “pan-Armenian,” which has become more popular in recent years. “Pan” is a Greek term that refers to “all” or “involving all members” of a group. In its application to Armenians, it is inclusive and suggests a common purpose. Inclusion has historically been a problem in our diaspora, as power struggles often result in the exit of certain factions and a parallel redundant effort. This is where our inefficiencies enter into play. Eventually both efforts begin to struggle as succeeding generations fail to embrace those entities with the same enthusiasm. The natural state is usually an integrated whole. Our church began that way in America, with a diocese in 1899, but fractured as issues — unrelated to spirituality — but tied to power, altered the natural state.
Evolution of communal life in the American diaspora has continued with multiple parallel programs. At face value, multiple organizations with small areas of overlap is not a problem. The challenge is that an alignment from the original schism in the 1930s has been maintained. Granted, the walls have melted slightly, particularly in the last 20 years, but cooperation is limited by a fear of losing organizational power. Interaction for the benefit of all Armenians is carefully orchestrated to avoid any impact on “my” organization.
Our diasporan communities have evolved into a collection of organizations loosely connected to a short-term history. This approach is an obstacle to pan-Armenian thinking, as we are unable to subordinate our parochial views in favor of the greater Armenian whole. It takes a great deal of vision and discipline to maintain a real sense of commonality. It is not sufficient to exhibit excitement when meeting other Armenians. Eventually, we wonder about which church they attend, when the real question today is whether we attend? Although there are signs of enlightenment, there is a need for change. Reverting back to our core value of hope, we should always maintain optimism for our future.
Another aspect of the pan-Armenian challenge in the diaspora is the relationship many diasporan groups have with Armenia and the Armenian government. Our commentary from the diaspora is an open window to the world stage. While freedom of expression is an important principle, Armenia is a sovereign nation and the citizens of Armenia have rights not reserved for diaspora Armenians. This is difficult for the diaspora to understand, especially in light of the remarkable support that the diaspora has displayed for the homeland. Our support is a responsibility as global Armenians and can never have expectations beyond our love for Armenia.
The optimal use of our resources in upholding the diaspora, prosperity for the homeland and national security lies in the proliferation of pan-Armenian thinking. It is the common language of collaboration and requires each of us, individually and organizationally, to think of each other as peers seeking the sustainability of our heritage and homeland. This will never be a perfect model but there is plenty of low-hanging fruit. The diaspora could organize itself to more effectively work with Armenia instead of the suboptimal decentralized model of today. Toning down the political rhetoric would minimize opportunities for our enemies to exploit our challenges.
Respect is the keyword for pan-Armenian thinking. Small gifts can matter. When power and control are the primary motivations, displaying respect is viewed by some as a sign of weakness. When our intent is a common vision based on pan-Armenian thinking, we have the foundation for a prosperous future. The sacrifice will be significant but the reward will be gratifying. Are we humble enough to accept this challenge?
Stepan Piligian
Latest posts by Stepan Piligian (see all)
- A new year…seeking hope through faith and pan-Armenian action - January 8, 2025
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