According to the established tradition, Advocate Norayr Norikyan with brothers gathered together to celebrate the New Year in his my parents’ home. “In general, I have a conservative approach to this issue, and I think that the New Year is a family holiday when you try to relax in the warm family environment to find a little comfort and to rest from the year’s workload. Although, as a whole this does not always happen, because our national tradition accepting the guests and attending to someone’s house as a guest has its certain “active” effect on the whole process of welcoming the new year.” Mr. Norikyan told to Iravaban.net
He added that the around the New Year table the family summarizes the past year, analyzes the performed work, discuss the gaps and identifies the programs and activities that they plan to implement in the coming year.
Our interviewee also mentioned that his two sons are writing letters to Santa Claus every year, asking to fulfill their wishes and to put gifts under their pillow. “It is very inspiring for me that in their this year’s letters to Santa Claus my sons asked for books to read and learn during the winter holidays. And I had promised to present them a notepad if they study well. Thank God, my boys, justified my hopes, and I realized my promise.”
Speaking of Christmas memories Mr. Norikyan said that in general there were a lot of memories connected with the New Year, but there had been two, which were really impressive, and they remember those every on New Year. “Since we are four brothers and, unfortunately, do not have a sister, in childhood they helped their mother to lay the New Year table. I do not remember the year, soon it would be midnight and we were going to sit round the table when our youngest brother shouted “How are you going to sit at the table when the pistachios are not fried yet” and began to cry loudly. I am quoting him literally to make the words more impressive. So as it was in that year, as well as on every New Year day we laugh before sitting at the table and recall his words,” Mr. Norikyan remembered.
The second case is of symbolic nature for Norayr Norikyan. “It was in early 90-tees. We lived in Apna village of Aparan region. There was drought in Aparan that year and there was a serious problem of forage. But while doing shopping for the New Year, it appeared that in addition to forage, there was also a deficit of lemonade, and in fact, it was not possible to buy lemonade. We were in this “tragic” mood when we learnt that in the shop of the neighboring village there was lemonade, but it was exchanged solely for forage. We had no other option: there should necessarily be lemonade on our table, and that year it was ensured thanks to the “bale of grass,” the advocate told.
