Armenian culture will be celebrated at the Village Museum in Bucharest between September 21 and 23, when music and traditional dance will mix with a photo exhibition, a vintage objects fair, as well as handmade object workshops, painting and hand writing sessions. Film screenings will also be scheduled.
The Armenian ethnic community in Romania is a millennium old and spread all across the country. With only around 5,000 Armenians left in the country, the community celebrates its history, culture and traditions. In 2012, it also celebrates 500 years of existence for the Hagigadar church and monastery in Suceava county, which is the most important centers for pilgrimage for Armenians across Europe.
A large celebration was organized in August for the monastery. Some 3,000 pilgrims from Europe and other parts of the diaspora are expected to take part in the celebration. Armenia, along with Ethiopia and Egypt, is one of the most ancient countries in the world that still exists in the modern age. It was also the first country to officially adopt Christianity as the state religion, in around 300 AD, more than 30 years before the Roman Emperor Constantine was baptized.