Our partners in Armenia Emili Aregak organized an excursion to Marmashen Monastery for the Akhuryan folk dance event. In the morning, the group took part in the mass and received blessed prayer books from Father Paren. This session emphasized the importance of spiritual values, providing participants—all of whom experienced forcible displacement from Artsakh—with an opportunity to immerse themselves in a peaceful and spiritual environment.  

In the afternoon, participants joined in the festivities with others from surrounding villages, enjoying traditional dances, singing, and a harvest celebration. One beneficiary of the programme even prepared zhengyalov hats for the visitors! 

***The recent conflict in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated in 2020 and again in 2023. Following Azerbaijan’s military actions and blockade, tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians fled Artsakh to Armenia.  

The trip became possible within the framework of the project “Barrier-Free Safety for People with Disabilities” is part of the INKuLtur programme, which is implemented by Austausch e.V. in cooperation with #EasternPartnership countries, and funded by Auswärtiges Amt.