RECALLING STRUGGLES; ARMENIAN CULTURE HAILED IN GLENDALE.Byline: Leilani Albano Daily News Staff Writer At the time the wars were being fought abroad, Vahan Vartanian of La Canada Flintridge was only 9 years old. But the struggle for Armenian independence, which took place thousands of miles away, stays close to his heart. Vartanian was among the thousands of Armenian-Americans gathered Sunday at Verdugo Park to commemorate the anniversary of liberation from Soviet rule. ``I want to support the struggle,'' said Vartanian, who belongs to the Armenian Youth Federation The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) (Armenian: Հայ Երիտասարդաց Դաշնակցութիւն that organizes events to keep Armenians and those of Armenian ancestry, wherever they are, in touch. Under clear skies Clear Skies could refer to:
n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. that began with a walk throughout downtown Glendale. The 4-1/2-mile procession headed by color guards was followed by a huge gathering at Verdugo Park, where there were food booths, vendors and a bone-marrow drive, as well as cultural performances by traditional dancers and musical artists. The daylong affair celebrated the Karabakh Movement in 1988 and recognized the struggles between Armenians and Azerbaijanis over an area near the Caspian Sea Caspian Sea (kăs`pēən), Lat. Mare Caspium or Mare Hyrcanium, salt lake, c.144,000 sq mi (373,000 sq km), between Europe and Asia; the largest lake in the world. known as Nagorno-Karabakh. The celebration also served as a rallying point Noun 1. rallying point - a point or principle on which scattered or opposing groups can come together point - a brief version of the essential meaning of something; "get to the point"; "he missed the point of the joke"; "life has lost its point" for the large Armenian community in Glendale. Hrant Tumasyan, who attended the event, wore military medals he was awarded for fighting in 1992. ``The United States is a very warm country, people are very kind,'' said Tumasyan, who is seeking medical treatment in America for an injury that left him paralyzed par·a·lyze tr.v. par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing, par·a·lyz·es 1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic. 2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. when he was shot in the neck during the Karabakh conflict. Tumasyan said he is impressed by the commitment of Armenian-Americans to help Armenians in Karabakh. ``We are unified in Armenia, because we are together in America.'' For Emma Salmassian, who volunteers at the Homenetmen Ararat, a youth organization in Glendale, the celebration was one way to involve the next generation. ``This is for our youth,'' she said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Dancers from the Hayastan Cultural Center move gracefully through a sylvan sylvan emanating from or pertaining to woods. See also sylvatic. setting Sunday at an Armenian celebration in Glendale. Gus Ruelas/Daily News |
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