2018 was a jubilee for the Ari Tun program, as this year marks the 10th anniversary of the program.The Armenian youth of Hungary have been participating in the Ari Tun program for over three years. The desire for young people aged from 12 to 17 to participate in the program was enormous. Although the Ministry of Diaspora provided participants with food and shelter, there were some financial difficulties traveling to Armenia. In this regard, the youth received support from the Armenian Youth Association.During the Ari Tun program, the Hungarian-Armenian youth also receives sponsorship from the Ministry of Human Resources.

     The program was held from July 8 to14, during which there where 15 participants from Hungary and different Armenian groups from all over the world. This program is an exceptional opportunity for the worldwide Armenians to recognize their native language, culture and traditions, to explore national, historical and cultural sights, as well as to get new friends from different parts of the world, and to return being a part of their homeland.

A 400-year-old Armenian church located in Van Province of eastern Turkey is on the verge of full destruction, having been targeted by treasure hunters for hundreds of years.

The walls of St. Stepanos Church are almost completely destroyed, with deep holes dug inside the church.

Treasure hunters have also damaged the tombstones close to the church, one of the unique examples of medieval Armenian architecture.

The part of the church that managed to keep standing despite the attacks is at risk of a total collapse, the source said.

Located at Aksorik mountainside and near Bend-i Mahibrook in Muradiye, Van, St. Stephanos Church was built in 17th century.

St. Stephanos Church and its monastery, which is among the important constructions that managed to keep standing despite the damage of hundreds of years, has seen the greatest destruction of its history in the last 50 years.

St. Stepanos Church operated until the 1915 Armenian Genocide, being one of the most important places of prayer for Armenians.

For Armenians the pomegranate is one of the most recognizable symbols of the country.  In Armenian mythology it symbolizes fertility and good fortune. It was a guardian against the evil eye. At weddings in Western Armenia, a bride would throw a pomegranate and break it into pieces. Its scattered seeds ensured that the bride would bear children. In Van, Armenian women who wanted to have a son would eat bread made from dough mixed with pomegranate seeds. Its importance is attested in historical Armenian manuscripts and stone carvings where it was used as a popular ornament. One of the most iconic Armenian art movies is that of Sergey Paradjanov named “The Color of Pomegranates”. In the film, the red pomegranate on a table with its wrinkled skin and fresh pulp stands out as an embodiment of the invincible soul of Armenia. Until the very day pomegranate is a commonly used theme in Armenian art and culture including cuisine. In fact, it has turned into a national cliché. Go to any art exhibition, and you’re sure to see two or three (or more) paintings where the pomegranate is featured. Souvenir shops are filled with ceramic, metal, and textile pomegranates and pomegranate-shaped knick-knacks. During weddings in Yerevan a small dried pomegranate called taratosik is given by a bride to unmarried guests as a blessing. After the horrid events of the Armenian Genocide many Armenian artists have used pomegranates as a theme in their lyrics and poems to describe a wide range of emotions, from suffering to hope, rebirth and survival of a nation.

In closing, a traditional ending for Armenian fairy tales:

“Three pomegranates fell down from heaven: One for the story teller, one for the listener, and one for the whole world.”