The tragedy of the genocide that took place 104 years ago is such a wound for the Armenians that was inherited by the memory of our blood. Today it is undeniable part of our identity. The example of the faith of the Holy Martyrs helped the Armenians once again to value their identity under a new light, proving that the greatest value for the Armenian people is freedom.
Today, 104 years later, we mourn and commemorate the memory of our holy martyrs, keeping alive their message to live and create. Every year, on April 24, commemoration ceremonies are held in Armenia and in many countries of the world. The commemoration ceremonies in Ejmiatsin started on April 23 at Music School №1 after Makar Yekmalyan. Here, the concert program dedicated to the Armenian Genocide started with a minute of silence and continued with a prayer. During the event, those present once again paid their respects to the 1.5 million innocent victims of the intolerance of the Turkish government for their national and religious views.
Another commemoration event took place at the Culture House after Komitas․Gyumri State Drama Theater after V. Achemyan presented the drama "The Monster on the Moon" on the stage of the Culture House.
The play was about the life of orphans Aram and Seda, survivors of the Genocide, who were trying to start a new life, through them presenting the collective image of the Armenians in the 1920s. The basis was the symbol of the continuity of life, which is presented with the good news of pregnancy of the heroine who has been infertile because of hunger.
The invitations to various theaters initiated by Ejmiatsin Municipality are an attempt to preserve and spread the classical values, aimed at developing the cultural life of Ejmiatsin.
The performance was followed by a candlelight ceremony initiated by Ejmiatsin Municipality and Ejmiatsin Youth Council in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide. Many people from Ejmiatsin walked from St. Hripsime Monastery to Komitas Square in protest of Turkey's denial policy. Students, schoolchildren and citizens joined the traditional torchlight procession demanding "Recognition, compensation".
Early in the morning of April 24, active citizens of Ejmiatsin, high-ranking military and clergy led by Mayor Diana Gasparyan, laid wreaths and flowers at the statue of Komitas, paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, April 24, is no longer a day of mourning, but symbolizes the rebirth of the Armenian people. It is with the meaning of rebirth and eternity that we lay flowers and pray to God together, showing the whole world that we are not a dying nation, that we are a nation who creates, lives and makes alive.
