Dörtyol - Festivals

Author: Vera Sahakyan, 13/11/14 (Last modified: 13/11/14) - Translator: Hrant Gadarigian

New Year (Gavondis)

For residents of Dörtyol, fire was the focus of their New Year’s celebrations. To usher in

the New Year and ring out the old, residents would light fires to symbolize their hopes

and aspirations for the future.

Family members would circle around the hearth fire and the clan elder would toss a

metal coin into the flames as a symbol of the hoped for bounty and abundance to come.

[1] The rest of the family would then line up to kiss his right hand in a sign of respect

and obedience. The elders, in turn, would bless their juniors and present gifts to them.

[2] The holiday table would be adorned with dried fruits, sweets, cheorek [3] and wine.

Families would visit one another and present gifts to the newly engaged and married, to

godfathers (gnkahayr), and to the newborn. [4]

Of all the holidays, youngsters waited for Gavondis (New Years in the Dörtyol dialect)

the most of all. The kids would wake up to find gifts (little homemade bags full of

almonds, walnuts and raisins) under their pillows brought by Gavondis Der Baba. [5]

Christmas [6]

An eight day fast accompanied the Christmas celebration. On Christmas Eve, January 5,

Dörtyol residents would dress up in their holiday best and rush to church to attend

theDjrakalouyts or Khtman Liturgy (lighting of the lamps service). In the local Dörtyol

parlance it was called – houtoum pataraka. [7]

Everyone would remove their shoes in the church nave. Young girls would conceal their

luxurious locks with silk scarves edges with fine hand embroidery. [8]

After the liturgy, people would return home with lit candles from the church to light

their own lamps and candles. They would sit at the table to eat the holiday pilaf dish that

was topped with raisins and figs fried in oil, thus breaking the fast. [9]

For church holidays, students with a good singing voice would join the choir at the Holy

Mother of God Church (Sourp Asdvadzadzin). [10] These able young singers would read

their passages in three languages – Armenian, Turkish and French. [11] Kevork Effendi

Geokoghlanian was a prominent expert in vernacular and classical Armenian at the start

of the 20th century in Dörtyol. He was such a proficient linguist that he would translate

passages from the Bible from Armenian to Turkish on the spopt, a feat that amazed the

Turkish-speaking Armenians of Dörtyol. [12]

On feast days, an auction was held in the churches to see who would have the privilege

to read passages from the bible. On Christmas Day, prominent residents would bid

money to get to read from the Book of Daniel. The highest bidder would win. That

person would get the privilege to ascend the altar and read from the book in turn with

the best student or acolyte. [13]

After the liturgy, priests and school teachers and pupils would go from house to house,

singing hymns and verses appropriate for the day and heralding the good tidings.

Money collected from khachhambuyr (literally – kissing the cross) would go towards

financing the tuition of needy school children and for their other needs. [14]

1

2

1) A silver-covered New Testament, 1789. It is now housed at the "Cilicia" Museum of

the Armenian Catholicosate in Antelias (Lebanon) (Source: Hermann Goltz,

Photographien von Klaus E. Göltz, Der Gerettete Schatz der Armenier aus Kilikien, Dr.

Ludwig Reichert Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2000)

2) A silver-covered Ritual Book, 1829. It is now housed at the "Cilicia" Museum of the

Armenian Catholicosate in Antelias (Lebanon) (Source: Hermann Goltz,

Photographien von Klaus E. Göltz, Der Gerettete Schatz der Armenier aus Kilikien, Dr.

Ludwig Reichert Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2000)

The Christmas celebrations would intensify in the evening and go on through the night.

Groups of students and others would assemble on their own. Each person held a wooden

stick to symbolize the Bethlehem shepherds. They would go from home to home and

herald the glorious birth of Christ. As payment for their works, the groups would receive

fruits, cheoreg, change, and blessings. [15] People in Dörtyol waited for this ritual with

such anticipation that many families would go out to meet these groups bearing good

tidings so as not to be overlooked.. [16] The seniors of the household would gather

around the roaring fires outside to await the arrival of the travelling groups of well-

wishers. [17]

For this holiday, new brides would sew or embroider small pouches for use by the

travelling groups to hold the presents received along the way for spreading the good

news. [18] Often, the pouches were large socks or hats and straw mat bags.

When a family ran out of presents to give the groups of well-wishers, money was given

as a substitute. The head of each group, usually the eldest, would take control of the

money and apportion it justly to take care of the needs of the group members –

repairing the broken toy of one or gluing the ripped ball of another. [19]

In addition to the hymns and verses learnt in school, the more accepted band

widespread custom was to perform Turkish songs; mostly mixed Turkish translations of

Armenian verses. [20]

Chrorhnek/Chrohnek (Blessing of the Water)

On the morning of January 6, all the members of the house would gather around the

oldest family member who would bestow them with his/her traditional blessing and

well-wishes. The family would then leave for church.

According to common custom, Dörtyol residents would gather their drinking water from

the river in early morning. However, on the day marking Christ’s baptism, the water

would be collected after the Divine Liturgy, once the river was blessed with muron (holy

oil). [21] Saying Haç suya girmiş (to pass through blessed water), people would fill their

pots and tubs. Believing that the blessed water possessed great power, the entire family,

starting with the kids, would bathe in it. Bathing the newborn and sick in the blessed

water was considered a must. Many families would keep the water in silver chalices

throughout the year, dripping a bit into the general water for daily use. [22]

People visited friends and family on January 6. After exchanging well wishes, the

visitors would give gifts or fruit and cheoreg wrapped in square pieces of cloth. Priests

would bless homes, not only receiving thanks but money. [23]

On the following day, Merelots (Repose of Souls Day), residents would flock to the St.

Sarkis Church built in the cemetery. [24] The faithful would bring food and sweets to the

church to distribute to the less fortunate. [25]

The Baptism of Christ (Source: National Library of France (Paris), manuscript Arm

333, paper 3b in Senior Priest Nerses Nersesian, The Bible and Armenian Culture [in

Armenian], Armenian Bible Society, Yerevan, 2001)

Dyarnentarach (The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple)

In the local Dörtyol dialect, this holiday was called Derendas. In Dörtyol, as elsewhere,

celebrations started on the evening of the previous day, February 13. The village would

empty as everyone went to the old church built in the cemetery. New brides and newly

engaged girls, wearing new clothes, would ride atop horses and be taken to the church

accompanied by relatives. Once there, the festivities would begin. Some would try their

skill at target shooting, others at wrestling, and others at running and other games. New

grooms and their godfathers (gnkahayr) would collect wood for the bonfire. [26]

Stalls selling various items in the churchyard (sweets, candies, roasted nuts) would also

attract a energetic crowd. [27]

The holiday bonfire would be lit in the cemetery church courtyard. The honor of lighting

the fire was reserved to one of the village’s prominent residents – the one who paid the

most. The godfathers, holding newly born babes in their arms, would dance around the

fire. When returning the babes to their mothers, the godfathers would place money and

gifts in their swaddling clothes and in exchange they would receive hand knitted socks

and embroidered handkerchiefs. [28] Once all of this is finished, people would spread

cloths full of various holiday sweets around the fire. [29]

Young boys and girls, adorned in 4-5 branched laces and silk veils gifted by the

godfathers, would light beeswax candles [30] from the candles inside St. Sarkis Church.

Taking the lit candles home, they would light the house lamps and a large bonfire in the

house yard. Sweets made from rinds of squash, eggplant, figs, oranges and watermelon

and other fruits and dishes would be fixtures on any family holiday table. [31]

The bonfires, symbolizing the victory of spring over winter, were a harbinger of the

bounty to come. Young people would perform a variety of dances around the fire. [32]

Residents would takes ashes from the fire and scatter them in the chicken coops,

believing that the animals would lay more eggs. [33] Ashes would also be placed in the

corners of all the rooms in the house, under the pillows of newly wed couples, and in the

cribs of newborn children. Some would keep the flames from the fire lit all year, as well

as preserving the ashes. It was considered a sign of bad luck if one’s clothes were singed

by the fire. [34]

Neighboring Turkish villagers called the holiday sokun ateşı (freeing fire). After the

holiday, livestock would be freed from their pens and driven to the pastures to graze.

[35]

The Crucifixion of Christ (Source: Cilician manuscript of eight painters, 1320 in Old

Armenian Miniature Painting [in Armenian], Yerevan, 1952)

Paregentan (Good/convivial living)

Called Pargindag in the Dörtyol dialect, this holiday season was a great occasion for

friends and family to make merry together on the same level as any feast day.

Celebrations would begin in the churches and then continue outside at local pilgrimage

sites. Hard-working grandmas would trim the Paregentan holiday table mainly with

meat dishes.

Given that the holiday celebrations lasted for seven days, lines would form outside the

local butcher shops. [37]

Guests would arrive in Dörtyol for the occasion. Hundreds of Turks from neighboring

villages would come to participate in the various organized games and competitions.

[38] Armenians and Turks would test their prowess in wrestling matches, drawing large

crowds at the park next to the Havacha Bshara trading house. [39] The festivities would

end with guests receiving baskets of fruits and gifts. The needy would also receive such

baskets, as well as people who had come to Dörtyol for work and those without gardens

of their own. [40]

Since weddings weren’t performed during the upcoming Lent period, numerous

weddings would also take place during Paregentan, thus adding to the festive

atmosphere. [41]

Friends and family would invite one another to evening gatherings at which song and

dance would follow the holiday meal. Alcoholic beverages, wine and distilled spirits,

were also permissible. Such celebrations often took place in the gardens of engaged

young women. [42]

1

2

1) The Peltekian family hails from Dörtyol. Later, they lived in Alexandrette

(Iskenderun, present-day Hatay) region, which was a part of Syria until 1939 after

which it was annexed by Turkey. Photograph: "Khatcherian Frères, Antioche" (Source:

Bedros Sahag Peltekian collection, Beirut)

2) The town of Dörtyol in 1921. Street life during the French occupation period

(Source: Grégoire Tafankejian, Valence)

Medz Bahk (Great Lent) [43]

Following the merry-making of Paregentan comes the forty day period of self-sacrifice

and self-control called Medz Bahk. Each Monday during Lent was called the day of

“washing and cleansing”. On that day, brides would wash all the oily pots and ladles so

that no trace of animal material would be left. Fasting would begin in earnest on

Monday. [44]

The first seven weeks of Lent were called hadig gün (the day of hadig – i.e., the meal of

the day; usually made from wheat, chick peas, beans and lentils). Such legumes would

be placed in a clay pot on Friday evening. The pot was then placed on the fire. The next

day, tahini oil would be stirred into the pot instead of animal fat. The meal would be

eaten until Sunday, and portions would be served to neighbors and the less fortunate.

[45]

Buying bread from the market wasn’t acceptable on that day given that, according to

accepted tradition, animal blood was mixed into the flour. [46]

People would attend morning and evening church services throughout Lent without

exception. Their numbers would swell on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Dörtyol

faithful would fill the church for the the renunciation of sins vespers. [47]

The Balian family hails from Dörtyol. Later, they lived in Beylan (present-day Belen,

Hatay province), which was a part of Syria until 1939 after which it was annexed by

Turkey. Seated (from left) - Sinan Efendi Balian, with Ardemis on his lap. Standing to

Sinan’s right - Berta (Marta). Standing in front of Berta - Mari. Seated - Lousaper

(born Der Haroutyunian). Second row (standing from left) – Garabed and Haroutyun

(Source: Berta Der Bedrossian (née Balian) collection, San Francisco)

Michink (Mid-Lent)

Round kufteh (kodja kufteh) made from chick peas and tahini was the traditional meal

of this day. Khoshab, a stew made with raisins and dried fruit, was also prepared and

portions distributed to neighbors and the needy. On the day of Mid-Lent, after church

services, a requiem meal would be spread out on sheets in the church courtyards. The

entire town would turn out to partake in the kodja kufteh meal. [48]

Dzaghgazart (Palm Sunday)

Called Zanakhdar or Djanakhdar in the Dörtyol, this holiday commemorates the entry

of Christ into Jerusalem. The churches would be adorned with palm leaves. Given their

scarcity in Dörtyol, young boys would set off days before to bring back branches to

decorate the church altar. Mothers would enter church just carrying palm leaves, while

new brides would wear boughs affixed with fruits, roses and sweets atop their head.

Other variations would be to hang such decorated boughs from their neck or to carry

them, either in their hands or in baskets woven from young willow branches. Engaged

girls would greet Palm Sunday by fasting. [50]

Church altars would be adorned with purple flowers brought from the forests of Mt.

Amanos. [51]

Palm (Source: Hermann Adolph Köhler, Gustav Pabst, Walther Müller, C.F.

Schmidt, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Gera, 1887)

Trnpatsek (Opening of the door ceremony)

The altar curtain in the church has been closed throughout Lent and is only opened

during the service on the eve of Palm Sunday. In Dörtyol, the doors to the churches are

also closed after Palm Sunday. The faithful gather near the closed door in large

numbers. Weeping, they kneel and pray and ask forgiveness for their sins. They would

then strike the wooden door and call out – aç, kabul et bizi, Der Asvaz (open, accept us,

Lord our God). A priest inside, playing the part of God, would reply – kimsiniz, tanırım

mı (who are you? I do not recognize you). The repentant crowd would repeat this three

times, making their wailing pleas louder still. After striking the door a third time, the

priest would finally open the entrance to the church - symbolizing the entrance to the

heavenly kingdom. [52]

Bidding would take place for the honor of opening the altar curtain. Those selected

would have the privilege of wearing a surplice (shabig), ascending the altar, and

drawing the curtain open. [53]

Great/Holy Thursday and Khavaroum (Darkness)

Holy Thursday was known for the obligatory “washing” that took place with water (çiçek

su – flower water) made from orange blossoms, leaves and various fragrant flowers. [54]

In the presence of a multitude of the faithful, the khavaroum (darkness) ritual would be

performed. According to Biblical testimony it was the day when Jesus was arrested

through the betrayal one of his disciples.

Six sets of laments are chanted, each followed by a Gospel reading depicting Christ's

betrayal, imprisonment, torture, trial, sentence, and crucifixion. Thirteen lit candles, 11

white and 1 black (representing Judas), are extinguished in pairs. Only one remains lit,

symbolizing Christ, and the church remains in semi-darkness. After the last Gospel

reading and the last candle extinguished, total darkness reigns. In this utter darkness

and silence, the hymn “Glory to God in the Highest” is sung. [55]

On the same night, a number of innocent thefts take place which are deemed

permissible, given that Christ has been betrayed and arrested and that evil roams the

land. [56]

On the Friday that follows, Easter eggs are dyed red to symbolize the blood shed by

crucified Christ. It is not permitted to make the sign of the cross on this day. In a sign of

general lament, people would not eat anything sweet. [57]

Orange blossom (Source: The National Geographic Magazine, Volume 31, No. 6, June

1917)

Zadig (Easter)

In Dörtyol, Easter would correspond with the blossoming of the orange crop that

imparted an Eden like fragrance to the town. Flowering roses from the gardens would be

taken in bunches top the church. It was mandatory for new born children and new

brides to attend church services. Church bells would ring early in the morning calling

the faithful, decked out in their holiday best and carrying dyed eggs in baskets, to

prayer. After services, the egg contest would begin. Residents would begin eating their

eggs in the church nave. Easter eggs were so loved by Dörtyol residents that many would

consume twenty or more that day. [58]

On the following day, Merelots, people would visit the graves of family members and

loved ones. A wrestling match, with Armenian and Turkish wrestlers from the town and

neighboring villages, would take place in the afternoon at a public square. [59]

Viola (Source: Carl Axel Magnus Lindman, Bilder ur Nordens Flora, Stockholm, 1901–

1905)

Vartavar (Transfiguration - Festival of Roses)

This major church holiday was celebrated on the fourteenth Sunday following Easter.

[60]

In Dörtyol, as in all Armenian communities in Cilicia, traces of holiday’s pagan past

were still evident. People would gather on river banks, near holy sites, and throw water

on each other, release doves, and slaughter animals for sacrifice (madagh/madag).

When taking a piece of the madagh to eat, one would say – oukhdn kabul olsun (may

your sacrifice be acceptable). [61]

On Vartavar, Turks, Yezidis and Turkomens from neighboring villages would travel to

Dörtyol. They would come not only for the merry-making but also to sell charms

(khamaylı) made from bread dough, wood or assorted stones. [62] Many marriages and

baptisms would take place given that people regarded the holiday as a symbol of fertility

and bounty. [63]

Hampartsoum /Vidjag (Ascension of the Lord)

On the evening before, seven virgin girls would gather water from seven springs in a

vessel. [64] The vessel would be adorned with basil and a flower called vidjag. A piece of

cake or a communion wafer (nshkhark) would be placed on top. The vessel would be

placed where it could receive the rays of the moon. Sometimes, miscreants would steal

the vessel, an act regarded as a sign of very bad luck for adolescent girls. [65] On the

day, girls would gather in a green field, and toss a ring, bracelet or an earring in a bowl

filled with water. The following ritual would be performed – a kind of ‘luck of the draw’

game. Hence the popular name vidjag for the holiday. The youngest girl would place her

hand in the bowl and feel around for one of the items inside. As she does so, the girls

would sing:

Dörtyol Armenians at a festivity – 1933. The photo was probably taken in the region of

Alexandretta (Iskenderun, present-day Hatay), even though the original notes

Dörtyol. We know that the town was emptied of Armenians in 1922. Was the photo

taken by a group of Dörtyol Armenians revisiting their town? The second person

(wearing a tie) from the right is Khachig Bedros Peltekian (Source: Bedros Sahag

Peltekian collection, Beirut)

Mantıvarım olsun

Içi dolu nur olsun

Mantıvara gelenin

Cennete dost olsun [66]

Let my fate be decided

May it be full of light

Whoever participates in the draw

Paradise will be their friend [67]

The girl would then remove an item from the water. The owner of the item would receive

the fate described in the following song.

Ay, mantıvar, mantıvar

Mantıvarın vaktı var

Mantıvarın sevenin

Trakhda pesh takhdı var.

Haneh akhchig, teh haneh

Poukun pari tara eh.

Fate, fate, dear fate,

Fate has a time,

Those participating in the draw

Have a place in paradise

Draw it girl, draw,

Today is a good year. [68]

The girl removes another item from the water. The owner is destined for the following

fate which the girls then sing.

Altundır yaram

Gümüşdır tokam

Allahdır arkam

Kimsenden korkmam

My love is gold,

Wearing silver.

God is my protector

I’m a brave soul without fear. [69]

The girl removes another item, and then places her hand in the bowel. The girls sing:

Bir incecik kamışam

Kapuna uzanmışam

Ister al, ister alma

Anluna yazılmışam.

I am a thin reed

I’ve grown taller at your door

Pluck it if you want, or not

It doesn’t matter, I am written on your forehead. [70]

The girls then sing:

[Aysmağı saramadım]

Ocağa koyamadım

On parmağı mum yapdım

Ben sana yaramadım

I wasn’t able to tie a braid,

Not able to build a house,

I lit a candle with ten fingers

I wasn’t fit for you at all. [71]

The song continues for another twenty verses or so. The girls then rub the fragrant water

on their faces and the holiday comes to a close. Meals for Hampartsoum include pilaf

made from milk and arishda (roasted rye dough) and round ornately embossed kata.

People would gather at holy and pilgrimage sites named after St. Sarkis. [72]

Silver solar monstrance (ostensorium). It is now housed at the "Cilicia" Museum of the

Armenian Catholicosate in Antelias (Lebanon) (Source: Hermann Goltz,

Photographien von Klaus E. Göltz, Der Gerettete Schatz der Armenier aus Kilikien, Dr.

Ludwig Reichert Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2000)

Asdvadzadzin (Feast Day of the Assumption of the Holy Mother-of-God/Blessing of the Grapes)

Most Dörtyol Armenians would celebrate this dominical (daghavar) feast day,

commemorating Mary’s being “assumed” by Christ to heaven, by attending Divine

Liturgy at the St. Asdvadzadzin Church in the towns Upper District. [73]

The custom of blessing grapes, the first fruits of the harvest, can be traced back to Old

Testament times, when farming was a common vocation. With the birth of Jesus, these

dedications took on a new meaning. Jesus Christ was the first born—or the first fruit—of

Mary and, as such, was offered to God in the temple.

According to accepted tradition, the eating of grapes was not permitted prior to the

Blessing of the Grapes ceremony that took place after the Divine Liturgy. People would

bring grapes to the church to be blessed. The grapes would then be distributed to the

faithful. On the following day, Merelots, people would visit the graves of family

members and loved ones. [74]

National Holidays

Since Vartanants, the most beloved of all church and national holidays, dovetailed with

the Thursday of Great Lent, it was celebrated in especially grand style. All schools, shops

and markets would close. The holiday, celebrating St. Vartan and his comrades in arms,

was celebrated with the last Divine Liturgy with an open curtain before Great Lent. All

Dörtyol Armenians would attend this service. All the menfolk would carry some type of

weapon (gun, sword or dagger) on their person for this national holiday. [75] Towards

evening, either at a pilgrimage site or churchyard, torches were lit. After the 1908

Constitution, schools would perform plays portraying the battle waged by St. Vartan and

his soldiers. [76]

[1] Minas Kojayan, History of Chork-Marzban (Dört-Yol, a town in Cilicia) [in

Armenian], Los Angeles, 2006, p. 168.

[2] Samvel Boranian, Memoirs of Djouk Marzeban (the original is in Armenian

lettered Turkish). The author of this article has an edited typewritten translation of the

manuscript by Haroutyoun Balian. Leninakan, 1965, unpublished, p. 178.

[3] Cheoreg is a type of bread baked in Dörtyol for the five dominical feast days.

See Boranian, Memoirs,p. 160.

[4] Kojayan, History of Chork-Marzban, p. 168.

[5] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 118.

[6] The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the birth and baptism of Christ on

the same day – January 6.

[7] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 118.

[8] Ibid, p. 146.

[9] Ibid, p. 118.

[10] Ibid, p. 146.

[11] Ibid, p. 118.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Kojayan, History of Chork-Marzban, p. 168.

[16] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 198.

[17] Kojayan, History of Chork-Marzban, p. 168.

[18] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 208.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Ibid, p. 119.

[21] Ibid, p. 129.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Ibid, p. 159.

[25] Ibid, p. 129.

[26] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 130.

[27] Ibid, p. 130.

[28] Ibid.

[29] Ibid.

[30] Candles in Dörtyol were made from animal fat or beeswax. When oil was

introduced, tinsmiths began to fashion candle lamps with handles that could be carried

from room to room. They were also used to light the way to church for morning vespers

and to carry fire back home. Evergreen wood was used for the same purpose. See

Boranian, Memoirs, p. 159.

[31] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 130.

[32] Ibid.

[33] Kojayan, History of Chork-Marzban, p. 169.

[34] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 132.

[35] Ibid.

[36] Refers to the week of Great Lent

[37] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 131.

[38] Ibid, p. 177.

[39] Ibid.

[40] Ibid, p. 131.

[41] Ibid.

[42] Ibid.

[43] Greta Lent was also called Aghouhats (day of abstinence), recalling the old

tradition whereby the most devout would only consume bread and salt.

[44] Great Lent in the Armenian Apostolic Church begins on a Monday.

[45] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 132.

[46] Ibid.

[47] Ibid.

[48] Kojayan, History of Chork-Marzban, p. 170. Boranian, Memoirs, pp. 119-

120, 123.

[49] Boranian, Memoirs, pp. 119-120.

[50] Ibid.

[51] Kojayan, History of Chork-Marzban, p. 170.

[52] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 120.

[53] Ibid.

[54] Ibid.

[55] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 120.

[56] Ibid, p. 121.

[57] Ibid.

[58] Ibid.

[59] Ibid.

[60] Maghakia Ormanian, Dictionary of Rituals [in Armenian], Antelias, 1957.

[61] Boranian, Memoirs, pp. 86, 123.

[62] Ibid, p. 123.

[63] Ibid, p. 139.

[64] Kojayan, History of Chork-Marzban, p. 171.

[65] Boranian, Memoirs, p. 87.

[66] Nig Marzvan, retitled manuscript, written in 1934, Kirikhan, p. 147. (author

unknown). Siranoush Minasian sent us some of the pages of this booklet in digital

format, for which we are grateful; Boranian, Memoirs, p. 124.

[67] Translation by V. Sahagian.

[68] Nig Marzvan, p. 147.

[69] This quatrain is also to be found in Verzhine Svazlian’s The Oral tradition of

Western Armenians. Her book contains several mantuvars in Armenian- lettered

Turkish and Armenian tyranslations. The last two lines are missing in Boranian’s

memoirs. Most likely it was sung in Dörtyol without a chorus.

[70] Nig Marzvan, addendum p. 147; Boranian, Memoirs, p. 124 [translation by

V. Sahagian].

[71] Ibid.

[72] Ibid, p. 137.

[73] Ibid, p. 153.

[74] Ibid.

[75] Ibid, p. 132.

[76] Ibid.