Category Archives: Arts & Culture

Armenian Church of Southwest Florida Releases 2015-2016 Calendar

By Carole Meghreblian
FLArmenians Naples Contributor

The Armenian Church of Southwest Florida (ACSWFL) is pleased to announce the beginning of our mission parish services for the 2015-2016 season. Badarak is celebrated during the months of November, January, February, and March, to accommodate our seasonal parishioners.

All services are held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 3901 Davis Blvd., Naples, Florida 34104.

NOVEMBER: Our first service will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 1:30 pm. Fr. Hovnan Demerjian from St. Hagop Armenian Church in Pinellas Park will officiate. Baby Emmie Elizabeth Esayian will be blessed by Fr. Hovnan after the service. A light luncheon will follow.
JANUARY: On Sunday, January 17, 2016, Arshen Aivazian, formally of St. Paul Armenian Church in Fresno, California, will celebrate the Divine Liturgy. Service will be followed by Khachahankist (Comfort in the Cross) followed by fellowship.
FEBRUARY: On Sunday, February 21, 2016, His Eminence Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, accompanied by Fr. Tateos Abdalian, will celebrate Holy Badarak. Following the Service, Serpazan will be the guest of honor at a banquet celebrating the 15^th Anniversary of the Armenian Church of Southwest Florida at Vanderbilt Country Club in Naples, FL. For reservations, please see below.
MARCH: On Sunday, March 13, 2016, Fr. Garabed Kouchakian, formerly of St. John Church in Detroit, Michigan will celebrate Badarak. Service will be followed by the annual Lenten Luncheon in the Church hall featuring delicious Armenian dishes prepared by the ladies of the mission parish.

For further information about the ACSWFL, please contact FLArmenians.com Naples Contributor Carole Meghreblian at (239) 348-3804 or carolemeghreblian@gmail.com. We look forward to welcoming you and your family to Southwest Florida!

Posted in Armenian Church, Arts & Culture, Events, General Update

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Tags: acswfl, Armenian, Armenian Church, Florida, Naples

Concert in Miami to Commemorate Armenian Genocide, Culture After 100 Years

Oct 23

Posted by Florida Armenians

(Combined Sources) – On Saturday, November 7, at 7:00 PM, the Hye Doun commemorative concert to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will take place in Miami Beach, Florida, reported FLArmenians.com. Hye Doun is a collaboration of Arts at St. Johns and Harmonic Motion. Through music, dance, song, and narrative, the World War I Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkish Empire will be illuminated.

Local South Florida Armenian Americans, musician Joe Zeytoonian and author/journalist Douglas Kalajian, will share their experiences of having family members who were killed or simply disappeared during this period when an estimated 800,000 to 1.5 million men, women, and children died.

The concert includes traditional Armenian folk and folk-inspired melodies and dance, with a cultural commentary provided by FLArmenians.com contributor Douglas Kalajian, author of “Stories My Father Never Finished Telling Me.”

“When musicians play these songs, they’re preserving this culture. It’s a gift not only to me, but to the whole world,” Kalajian told the Miami Herald.

According to the Herald, “Zeytoonian also was deeply impacted by the genocide; both sides of his family were devastated. His grandfather was killed when his grandmother was eight months pregnant with his father. He decided to convey the loss his family felt through his music.”

“Armenian music has a particular nostalgia in its sound. My sound is a combination of that and the Anatolian roots of my parents who were driven from their homes in Maras, Turkey,” Zeytoonian said.

Performers include Myriam Eli (percussion and dance), Alique Mazmanian (vocals), Reza Filsoofi (setar and percussion) and Joe Zeytoonian (oud, percussion, and vocals).

The Hye Doun concert is part of Arts at St. Johns 2015-2016 season theme “Places We Call Home.” Nearly 75% of the residents in Miami-Dade County have come from other places. With physical homes in South Florida, many are emotionally bound to other cities, states or countries. Because of socio-political circumstances, some homes exist only in heartfelt memory.