​    Dearest Armenian Rugs Society members, supporters and friends,

   On behalf of the Armenian Rugs Society Board of Directors, I would like to thank all of our members and supporters for their continued faith and dedication to the cause of Armenian culture at a time of great trial and tribulation for Artsakh,  Armenia, and the Armenian people the world over, as we all confront the great challenges of both cultural and physical survival now extant in our indigenous homeland.

​   As the Armenian Rugs Society approached its 40th anniversary in 2020, none of us could have imagined the great atrocities that would be perpetrated against our people and homeland, that very same year, by the Azeri and Turkish fascist states, with the active complicity of a slew of treacherous allies.

   Armenian Rugs Society members and supporters were--and are--among some of the most active in providing aid to our brothers and sisters before, during, and after the genocidal aggression against our nation in 2020.

   The Armenian Rugs Society, with your continued support, will be redoubling its efforts and programs to continue its mission to support, nurture, and cultivate Armenian woven arts culture throughout Artsakh, Syunik, and all regions of the Armenian Homeland, as well as among academics, artisans, and interested individuals throughout the Diaspora.

   Now more than ever, the Armenian Rugs Society and supporters of Armenian arts in general, must rally to address and challenge a new and nefarious wave of attacks unleashed by the Republics of Turkey and Azerbaijan, against all Armenians everywhere, in their attempts to appropriate Armenian woven arts culture as their own and, in so doing, rewrite the historical record of global indigenous arts and culture, by erasing all things Armenian.

   With your help, the Armenian Rugs Society can continue promoting Armenian woven arts culture and its production in Armenia and around the world.

   We have a challenging road ahead…

   But, standing upon the shoulders of giants, together we are sure to work wonders...

   We wish you and yours a Joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year…
  
   May 2022 be filled with health and happiness for all…



                                                                              Sincerely,

                                                                         Hratch Kozibeyokian
                                                                        Armenian Rugs Society
                                                                          Board of Directors

  The Armenian Rugs Society has been nurturing Armenian woven arts culture among academics and artisans alike, worldwide, for nearly 40 years and continues to support Armenian woven arts internationally through a number of programs, symposia, lectures, and exhibitions that aim to build textile arts communities and consciousness in Armenia and around the world.

  Armenian woven arts traditions have been passed from generation to generation for thousands of years by highly skilled artisans who have produced stunning works of staggering beauty. Fortunately, Armenian millennial woven arts culture has continued to flourish over these many years despite the manifold life-threatening obstacles it has faced.

   However, and unfortunately, its detractors and their attempts at destroying Armenian arts have grown, as well.
    
  The governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan continue to eradicate Armenian monuments, architectural sites, churches, monasteries, and precious cross-stones whenever they are able. And, when they are unable to physically decimate indigenous Armenian high arts, they attempt to appropriate these works and purposefully distort their provenance in an attempt to rewrite the world’s historical record.

  The Turkish and Azeri states have not only engaged in genocide, but continue to attempt to strip the survivors of genocide, and their progeny, of any and all cultural meaning, memory, and motifs that have somehow survived and, indeed, form the fundament of Armenian cultural identity.  

  These callous forces that continue to lay siege to world heritage sites, traditions, and artifacts are in fact laying siege to world culture, to Armenian culture, and to every Armenian and global citizen whose roots can be found in every hand woven double-knot, made by the graceful hands of true artisans.

   Private sector groups and individuals, supported by official Azerbaijan and Turkey, have unleashed an aggressive attack against Armenian culture, backed by billions of petro-dollars and pseudo-intellectuals willing to distort truth for monetary gain.​ They continue to publish books, catalogs, and academic papers, sponsor conferences with lavish accommodations and entertainment, and create front organizations in their own countries and across Europe, in an attempt to erroneously claim Armenian woven arts traditions, Armenian carpets and rugs, Armenian embroidery, Armenian artifacts, and Armenian culture as their own.

   This unabashed falsification of history and cultural capital not only strikes at the heart and soul of Armenian cultural identity, but is a harsh blow to the international arts community and to woven arts scholarship in general, putting in serious danger whole academic disciplines and bodies of work.
​ 
   In essence, these interlopers are attempting to convince the world that Armenians did not exist for millennia in the lands of their ancestors and that they are not the authors of traditions that not only demarcate Armenian cultural identity, but traditions with which world heritage and the arts have so strongly been influenced.

    To leave the victims of genocide bereft of all meaning, tradition, and identity, to which they cling so dearly, is to deny their very existence and is the final, and most horrendous, stage of genocide.

    It is an attempted "final blow" to the survivors of genocide and their progeny, to say they did not exist, that they never created these works, that these glorious traditions are not Armenian.

   The Armenian Rugs Society has never worked alone and cannot work without your help, especially now, when so much is at stake...

   We need your help and the help of every individual who comprehends the severity of this onslaught and its untold horrific consequences not only for Armenians, but also for all people.

   We need your help to continue fostering a climate of inquiry, curiosity, and awareness among the next generation and society at large, regarding the world of Armenian woven arts, while preserving and nurturing a growing global awareness of Armenian rugs and sacred symbolism in every sphere.

   You can become a part of this great effort by continuing to be well-informed, vigilant, and active in appreciating and furthering Armenian woven arts and textile culture. 

   We invite you to join the Armenian Rugs Society today and become part of a growing global community of scholars, artists, collectors, and organizations passionate about the fascinating and sublime world of Armenian textile arts.
 
  Your generous donations and support go a long way in helping us protect and nurture our precious woven arts, artisans, and age-old traditions.

    Thank you for continuing to support the Armenian Rugs Society and the cause of Armenian culture...!

     During the past few years, the Armenian Rugs Society and our community have sadly suffered the loss of several of its beloved members--individuals who, in one way or another, played an active role in the Society.

    Some parts of the community may not be aware of these sad milestones, thus we hope to, herein, share some background on these fine and dedicated individuals.

    One of the pillars of the Armenian Rugs Society, a person who was involved with the Society almost from the beginning, was Dr. Murray L. Eiland, Jr., who passed away recently at the age of seventy-nine. Although he worked professionally as a psychiatrist, Murray had a great love for rugs and textiles.  He admired their beauty and their history, but, as a scientist, he also analyzed their structure and materials, educating himself and his audience as he learned. Throughout his life, he traveled to rug-making areas all over the world, wrote several books on oriental carpets, and became known as the most knowledgeable rug expert in the United States.

    In 1969, Murray and his brother Emmett opened a rug store in Berkeley, California. It was there that Lemyel Amirian, one of the founders of the Armenian Rugs Society, introduced Murray to Armenian carpets and textiles, leading him to become a life-long champion of the work of Armenian weavers. He joined the Armenian Rugs Society and became involved in the first major exhibition held by the organization, Weavers, Merchants and Kings, at the Kimbell Art Museum in Dallas, Texas, in 1984. Working alongside others from the organization and the museum, he selected the rugs to be displayed, edited the catalogue, contributed an important article to the catalogue, and lectured at the opening of the event--all tasks he repeated for the PASSAGES exhibition held in San Francisco in 2002. Until he became ill, he was always willing to participate in the Armenian Rugs Society in any way he could. We were honored to have Murray at our side; without him, the Armenian Rugs Society might not yet have earned the respect for Armenian rugs and textiles that we have seen in the years since the organization was founded.

    Another loss to the organization was the passing of Donna Mae Sommer, MD, wife of John Sommer, MD, at eighty-nine. Donna Mae was a respected pediatrician, having studied (and later taught and practiced) at the University of Chicago, where she met her husband-to-be. In 1955, she was part of a team of surgeons who successfully separated conjoined twins using a new procedure to divide their common liver. In 1966, she and the family moved to Fremont, California, where she and John both joined the Permanente Medical Group.

    Early in the twentieth century, John’s mother had been a missionary and medical worker in eastern Anatolia, where she came into contact with Armenian textiles and carpets; her interest in these art works was passed on to her son. He and Donna Mae traveled the world, studying and collecting carpets and other textiles as well as objects related to their production. John became very involved in the San Francisco Bay Area Rug Society (SFBARS), serving for several years as president of that organization, and later also joined the Armenian Rugs Society, where he was an advisor at the time of the PASSAGES exhibition and during the following years. Until she became ill, Donna Mae was always at his side. We miss her calm presence.
​
    We also lost Janet Karleen Hall, who joined the ARS at the time of the PASSAGES exhibition. She became a vital part of the Armenian Rugs Society board, helping with secretarial duties and also with the newsletter, as well as performing any task that was asked of her. She was an active member of the Tibetan Buddhist community in the bay area, even attending the Dalai Lama’s yearly retreats in France. Karleen was a good friend and a gentle, quiet person; her help was invaluable to the ARS. We shall miss her. 

   It is also with great regret that we mark the passing of Ruth Stronach, during September of 2017, in Berkeley, California. Ruth married David Stronach, a good friend and supporter of the Armenian Rugs Society, in 1966, and a world renowned Archaeologist on Iranian, Urartian/Armenian, and Middle Eastern Archaeology. Herself an archaeologist, Ruth accompanied David into the field at Nush-i Jan and Shahr-i Qumis, and studied the pottery from both these sites. 

   The Armenian Rugs Society also suffered a great loss with the passing of Araxi Bezdjian in 2016. Araxi was mar­ried to Joseph Bezdjian (long-time ARS president) for 40 years. She was always at Joe’s side, offering her ideas for ARS projects, pro­viding us with treats from her kitchen, and adding her zest for living to all our activities.
 
   Born in 1945, Araxi was the first-born child of the Kabbendjian family of Nazareth, Israel. She eventually matriculated to become a school teach­er, and in 1976, married Joe. The following year, Ara, Joe’s son from a previous marriage, came to live with them in San Mateo, California.
 
   In 1980, Araxi joined Joe in his oriental rug company and within five years, the business grew from two to ten employees and continued to prosper until Joe and Araxi sold it, thirty-one years later. They were that rare couple who were together at work, at home, and traveling, yet almost never spoke a cross word. They adored each other and shared a loving and happy life.
 
  Araxi was a special person. She was an excellent cook, a good housewife, and a sup­portive, loving partner to Joe. She made friends easily, and her friends loved and respected her and appreciated her kindness and loyalty. To her grandchildren, Alex and Nick, she was a play­mate and the source of favorite foods she would cook espe­cially for them. She was equally generous to her many nieces, nephews, and godchildren, all of whom loved her dearly.
 
   Her kind­ness and her generosity were legendary. 

   The Armenian Rugs Society extends its deepest condolences to the friends and families of all these fine individuals who gave of themselves for the benefit and enlightenment of their communities and fellow men and women.

​    Their good graces shall always be remembered. 


 * * *

In Lieu of Flowers Donations made to the 
Armenian Rugs Society In Memory Of Araxi Bezdjian 

Adham & Naluda 40.00 
Anonymous 60.00 
Atashkarian, George & Mary 300.00 
Astourian, Stephan 100.00 
Bezdjian, Arthur 100.00 
Bezdjian, Joe 1000. 
Bloom, Howard 250.00 
Cali, J. Randall & Mirta Arsenian - Cali 100.00 
Chavdarian, Peniamin & Alice 100.00 
Derbedrossian, Levon 500.00 
Gamitian, Takvor & Mari 100.00 
Garabedian, Hasmig 50.00 
Garabedian, Viken & Ani 100.00 
Horoupian, Garry A & Edita 75.00 
Kabbendjian, Dikran V & Hermine N 250.00 
Kabbenjian, Hovaness S 1000.00 
Kablanian, Rita 300.00 
Keledjian, Varujan A & Karine 200.00 
Kestekyan, Sarkis & Hera 30.00 
Manoogian, John Richard 100.00 
Mardirosian, Varujan Z & Tatiana 100.00 
Mckain, Mary 100.00 
Mekhdjian, Haig & Armine 50.00 
Mener, Vahe & Hilda 50.00
Mirigian, Garo & Aida 100.00 
Parker, Lorraine A. 25.00 
Poochigian, John 250.00 
Avakoff, Christine 
Sarkisian, Sarkis & Anahid 100.00 
Shaheen, Issa 50.00 
Shahenian, Albert 250.00 
Simaan, Soraya 100.00 
Takvorian, Rita 100.00 
Telfeyan, Artur, Kevork & Aznif150.00 
Yagjian, Arto & Nadya 50.00 
Yeremian, Anahid Dian 200.00 
Mashoian, Adriene 50.00 
Mashoian, Rosalind 50.00 
Nalbandians, Raffi 100.00 
Nalbandians, Yeprem 100.00 
Tateosian, David Charles 100.00 
Yavuz, Aylin 30.00

    One of the greatest textile artists, carpet designers, and textile restorers, master weaver, Hagop Kapoudjian, (c. 1870-1946), was also a key figure and one of the founding pillars of Homenetmen.
 
    Homenetmen (Armenian: Հ.Մ.Ը.Մ. pronounced [ˈhɔmɛnetmɛn], an acronym in Armenian for Հայ Մարմնակրթական Ընդհանուր Միութիւն, meaning 'Armenian General Athletic Union' is a pan-Armenian diasporan organization devoted to athletics and scouting. Homenetmen’s credo is "Raise Yourself and Raise Others with You…" (Armenian: Բարձրացի՛ր, Բարձրացո՛ւր, Partsratsir Partsratsour). 
 
    Mr. Kapoudjian was the first, and greatest, master of the Kum Kapi school of silk and metal (gold and silver thread) carpets, and a restoration specialist. His family moved to Constantinople (Istanbul) during the persecution of Armenians under Ottoman rule where he studied Persian rugs and soon after, had his own signature style. 

   After WWI, Kapoudjian moved to Paris where he became renowned for restoring knotted carpets and where he worked on several of Gulbenkian’s rare carpet collections. He continued his weaving and repair work in the French capital, and died there.
 
    Kum Kapi was a village of Armenian population wherein pure silk rugs with extraordinary quality were woven in the 19th century. Although it is a fishing village in the present day, Kum Kapı workshops, near the Great Palace of Ottoman Sultans, produced rugs that rivaled the Hereke Imperial Workshops producing woven rugs of amazing quality.

    During the beginning of the 20th century, two master weavers of Kum Kapı and their workshops were active--Hagop Kapuciyan (Kapoudjian), known colloquially as “Rotund (Fat) Hagop” and Zareh Penyamin, the greatest of the Kum Kapı masters.  
 
    Kapoudjian, coming to Constantinople from Kayseri, a central Anatolian town, established his first looms in Kum Kapı where he initially took 16th century Iranian Carpets and rugs with compartments as models, but innovated the designs by adding distinguished features.
 
   Homenetmen was founded on November 16, 1918, in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). The idea of a pan-Armenian sports association had been promoted for a number of years by an avid athlete and soccer player, Shavarsh Krissian, who started publishing the Armenian language sports periodical Marmnamarz, in 1911, with the financial support of brothers Levon and Krikor Hagopian and through the encouragement of Hovhannes Hintliyan, and the writer Hagop Sirouni.
 
    On May 1, 1911, the Armenian Olympiad, Navasartian Games, were launched and in 1912, Hintliyan published a pioneering article in Marmnamarz about Robert Baden-Powell and the scouting movement. Soon, thereafter, a great number of Armenian scouting groups were established. In 1913, the third pan-Armenian Olympiad was held, presided by Komitas, and for the first time a number of Armenian scouts also took part. Armenian sporting activities eventually halted due to the onset of World War I and the demise of Shavarsh Krissian as a victim of the Armenian Genocide.
 
   On November 16, 1918, a formative constituent assembly was held in Constantinople (Istanbul) to launch the "Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts" by a collective of 7 prominent members--Krikor Hagopian, Levon Hagopian, Dikran Koyian, Carlo Shahinian, Haig Jizmejian, Vahram Papazian, and Jirayr Korasanjian, with the active support of writer Hagop Sirouni.
 
    The pan-Armenian association was recognized as the sole Armenian athletic union on December 16, 1918 with the formation of the first Homenetmen Executive Committee. Four Homenetmen chapters were soon opened in various Constantinople neighborhoods. Vahan Cheraz founded the scouting chapter of the association.
 
    On July 20, 1920, the founding members of Homenetmen were officially invited to the independent Republic of Armenia to share their expertise regarding athleticism and scouting with the Republic's government. The Homenetmen Executive Committee sent Vahan Cheraz, Dikran Khoyan, and Onig Yazmajian to the meeting. Although initially successful in their efforts to spread Homenetmen’s athletic and scouting movement within Armenia, Homenetmen later was banned from Armenia after the Bolshevik takeover of the Free Republic of Armenia and the forced creation of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1921.
 
    In 1922, the Homenetmen chapters in Constantinople were also forced to close their doors under Kemalist Turkish persecution, with the organization's leaders being forced into dispersion throughout the world.
 
     Homenetmen, at 100 years, has survived and grown exponentially around the globe and in Armenia, becoming one of the largest and most resilient Armenian organizations in the world. It has consistently produced generations of citizenry of high character, promoting the fine tenets of athleticism, scouting, and activism, Raising Themselves and Raising Others… 

          As part of its new Community Outreach Program, the Armenian Rugs Society is proud to announce a variety of internship opportunities for college and university students, as well as others interested in public service within a vibrant and growing non-profit environment.
 
     The Armenian Rugs Society has been dedicated to the identification, preservation, documentation, and dissemination of knowledge pertaining to the cultural contributions made by Armenian weavers and craftspeople to the rich and vibrant history of textile arts, since its founding as a non-profit in Washington D.C., in 1980.
 
      And, to this end, the Armenian Rugs Society, has sponsored and participated in countless exhibits, workshops, symposia, and lectures, both nationally and internationally, (most recently the Smithsonian Institute’s Folklife Festival) within public and private spaces, including universities and colleges, art galleries and museums, for the general public and collectors.
 
        Those interested in connecting with a passionate global community, learning about Armenian culture, the textile arts, exhibition and symposium organizing, curating, and event planning, as well as a slew of other activities and projects, are urged to apply. 

      All interns will receive community service and volunteer experience with commensurate accreditation. Some positions may become paid part-time or full-time opportunities in due course.

        Please visit our website at armeniarugssociety.org to inquire and/or apply via our site’s CONTACT page or via our e-mail, [email protected], with the hashtag #internship in the comment section or subject line. 
 
     We look forward to collaborating with you and a growing community of scholars, artists, collectors, and organizations passionate about the fascinating world of Armenian textile arts.
 
 
 
                                                                     Sincerely and with Warm Regards,
 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Hratch Kozibeyokian
                                                                          President, Board of Directors
                                                           The Armenian Rugs Society

    A whole new era for Armenia and Armenian Culture has clearly begun and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. And, that includes the new energy and sense of discovery that is sweeping over the Armenian woven and textile arts world...
 
    From Yerevan to Los Angeles and from Shushi to San Francisco artisans, academics, aficionados, and arts activists of all stripes and hues are flocking to the creation and appreciation of Armenian textile arts with renewed interest, passion, and curiosity.
 
    The Armenian Rugs Society finds itself--very happily--still, at the forefront of this cultural renewal and activism, paving the way for a new generation of Armenian artisans and scholars to take their mantle into the future.
 
    And, in this regard, the Society continues to offer support to museums, academic institutions, and arts organizations in Armenia, Europe, and the US, by sponsoring exhibitions, workshops, symposia, and lectures, both in public and private venues, including this year’s monumental Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C.
 
    The Society not only nurtures the discovery and cultivation of Armenian woven culture among academics and enthusiasts alike, but continues supporting Armenian woven arts and its artisans world-wide through a number of programs including its Adopt-a-Loom initiative, that aim to engender support for indigenous traditions by building textile arts communities in Armenia and around the world. 
 
    However, the Society has never worked alone and cannot work without your support, especially now.
 
    The Armenian Rugs Society is a non-profit organization founded in Washington D.C., in 1980, and, as such, depends on the donations of its members and generous donors in order to continue its dedicated mission to the identification, preservation, documentation, and dissemination of the cultural contributions made by Armenian weavers and craftspeople to the rich and vibrant history of global textile arts.

   Moreover, the Armenian Rugs Society needs your help to continue fostering a climate of inquiry, curiosity, and awareness among the next generation and society at large, regarding the world of Armenian woven arts, while preserving and nurturing a growing global awareness of Armenian rugs and sacred symbolism.

    Anyone sharing an interest in the amazing world of Armenian woven arts traditions and their myriad manifestations, both ancient and modern, is cordially invited to be a part of the Armenian Rugs Society. Individual annual memberships are $50.00 (US), annual family memberships (two adults sharing the same address) are $75.00 (US), and corporate annual memberships begin at $150.00 (US). Each new member will receive a letter of acknowledgment, an Armenian Rugs Society membership card, timely email receipt of our Newsletters, and access to Society activities, as well as a surprise gift from the Armenian Rugs Society.
 
    The Armenian Rugs Society seeks to provide its membership, and the community at large, with the most current, accurate, and incisive, information and findings regarding a global cultural tradition rich in its past and vibrant in its present growth. Armenian Rugs Society projects and initiatives continue to help in creating new scholarly standards and opening-up new areas of study both within the Armenian woven arts arena and historical scholarship, in general.

   Be a vibrant part of this noble effort and join with us to bring both new academic verve and healing creativity through this ancient art form to a modern world in dire need of its curative energy...

    Your membership dues and generous donations go a long way in helping to support all our activities...

   Please visit our website at armenianrugssociety.org  and become a member via our easy to use MEMBERSHIP or CONTACT pages, or via our e-mail, [email protected], with the hashtag #membership in the comment section or subject line.
 
    Donations and membership fees may be made via check or money order to THE ARMENIAN RUGS SOCIETY P.O Box 21104 GLENDALE, CA 91201 or via our Pay Pal account links conveniently located on our MEMBERSHIP page, as well as throughout the site via our DONATE buttons.
 
    We look forward to collaborating with you and a growing community of scholars, artists, collectors, and organizations passionate about the fascinating world of Armenian textile arts.
 
 
 
                                                                          Sincerely and with Warm Regards,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Hratch Kozibeyokian
                                                                                President, Board of Directors
                                                                                The Armenian Rugs Society

THE RUG FELL ON HER HEAD: AN ARMENIAN CARPET CUTTING CEREMONY
​
September 17, 2018 | Micaela Nerguizian

Shortly after the last piece of fringe on the silk-woven rug was snipped off from its loom, the rug fell on her head—a ceremonial rite of passage often compared to cutting the umbilical cord after giving birth. It marks the female transition from girl to woman.

“In Armenian we say glkhin ynkav: it fell on her head. If the carpet falls and covers her head and face, like a veil, within the next year or so she will get married,” explains Hratch Kozibeyokian, a third-generation weaver who studies the symbolic imagery behind Armenian textiles.
​
Kozibeyokian, along with other Armenians involved in sustaining and reviving ancient Armenian weaving traditions, led a demonstration on the Armenian carpet cutting ceremony during the last weekend of the 2018 Folklife Festival. They revealed the symbolism and rigorous process behind this communal undertaking, from setting up the loom and tying the first knot to cutting the last piece of yarn.

The silk rug they presented was the second in a series of three that had been woven in Yerevan, Armenia, as part of a training program at the Folk Arts Hub Foundation. Founder Levon Der Bedrossian co-presented the session on the National Mall, sharing the technique and challenges behind the art of silk weaving.

“The silk is a magical phenomenon,” he said. “If you just think, it starts from a moth. Since it is a subtle material to work with, the process is very difficult, requiring a lot of patience and dedication.”  
​
That doesn’t mean hours and weeks. We are talking months and years—for one rug. Festival participant Diana Hovhannisyan worked on the rug displayed at this cutting ceremony for about fourteen months, along with her other colleagues. Unlike the first rug in the series, which had about 600 hand-tied knots per square inch, this one consisted of 840 knots. The third, which Hovhannisyan is currently working on, has approximately 1,080 knots per square inch. That’s dedication.
​

Camera: Shaun Weber, David Barnes, Emma Cregan, Hannah Luc, Albouri NDiaye, Charlie Weber
Interview and editing: Kaylie Connors

The participants dedicated the ceremony to the American people as a gesture of gratitude from Armenians. It was the one chance visitors had, during the two-week Festival, to experience this rite of passage, giving them a whole new spin on the weaving tradition and its rituals.

But why is it a female and not a male rite of passage?

According to Kozibeyokian, Armenian girls are traditionally exposed to the craft from an early age, observing and assisting their mothers and grandmothers weave carpets, belts, blankets, and other textiles. When a young girl decides to do her first weaving all by herself from beginning to end, her father builds a loom for her, places the warp (longitudinal section), and ties the first foundation. Once she completes the rug (or karpet, a carpet without pile), her father cuts the remains of the foundation that he tied. Traditionally, the completed rug represents the girl’s first accomplishment in her life, preparing her to face the world. 
​ 
If her mother and grandmother are happy with the finished result, they invite friends and family to their home for a day-long celebration filled with song, poetry, and dances. During the ceremony, when the time comes for the father to cut the rug, the girl sits on a chair under the loom (as seen in video) waiting for the rug to, hopefully, fall on her head. If the weaver happens to be older and is already married with children, then she would invite another female friend, who is also married but doesn’t have a child, to sit under the loom. If the rug falls on her friend’s head, then she will have a baby.
​

This cutting ceremony and numerous other traditional Armenian weaving practices have been passed down through multiple generations both for home use and to earn a livelihood. Despite the male-dominated commercial side of the weaving industry, female entrepreneurs, such as Ruzanna Torozyan of Goris Women’s Development Resource Center, have succeeded in forging a path and running their own establishments. Torozyan, another Festival participant who took part in the cutting ceremony, founded this co-op as a way to create income opportunities for rural women. They, in turn, are able to pass down their weaving knowledge while reviving and developing local crafts. Not only do they shear the sheep, wash the wool, spin the yarn, and weave the textiles, but they teach and sell their craft, creating unique pieces that combine traditional and contemporary designs.

At the Folklife Festival, visitors developed a new appreciation for these textiles. Not only did the presenters and participants bring awareness to the importance of the ancient Armenian weaving heritage, but they were able to recreate a ceremony that captured the essence of intergenerational social interaction.
​
As their celebration came to an end in a culmination of song, poetry, and apricots flying through the air, Kozibeyokian cheerfully proclaimed, “This is just a small taste of what Armenian folklife is about!”

Micaela A. Nerguizian is a production consultant in the performing arts and intern at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. She is completing her graduate degree at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, with a focus on cultural diplomacy and international education. As the great granddaughter of Armenian rug designer Bedros Mozian, writing this piece inspired her to journey back into her family’s history.