Fall – Gata Festival
Fall – Areni Wine Festival
If any Armenian delicacy deserves a festival of its own, it is gata – a sweet cake with a moist buttery filling. The village of Khachik has hosted this all-day affair in celebration of that magnificent confection since 2014. Song and dance numbers on an open stage accompany stands selling locally-made gata alongside other foods, such as rishta noodles, and handicrafts. The highlight of the festival? The world’s largest gata, at 2.5 meters (8 feet) in diameter! If you have a sweet tooth, be sure to check out this event during the last weekend of September.
Since 2009, Areni village and adjacent Rind village have become the biggest draw in the region for connoisseurs eager to partake in the revival of ancient wine-making traditions of the area. At the end of September or the beginning of October, the Areni Wine Festival kicks off in Rind with a first day of local food and drink contests. The festival grows the next day in Areni as family distilleries as well as bigger local producers line up tasting booths to present their wines to festival goers, who can also enjoy plenty of food, singing and dancing, souvenirs, and even hot air balloon rides for a bird’s-eye view above thousands of local and international visitors. And don’t forget before leaving to join in a shurjpar (a circle dance) to wear off some of that Areni spirit – or to fill up on the festival’s energy until next year.
Photo by Susanna Safaryan, My Armenia Program, Smithsonian Institution and USAID
Special thanks to Nune Manukyan of the Areni Fest Foundation for providing materials for this chapter.
Vayots Dzor Through the Seasons