Author: Aida Hovhannisyan
In the night of January 1, the Armenian community of Kuwait organizes a dance festival. The New Year festivities are celebrated according to the traditions of the Middle East. Representative of Kuwait’s Armenian community and teacher of Armenian, Maral Amboyan, who has been living in that country for already 11 years, told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am.
“Armenian college and church operate in Kuwait. On December 30, our pupils have to attend the church, and then a big festival is held in the educational institution. And on December 31, a dance festival is held, which is attended by actually all Armenians of Kuwait. We prepare eastern dishes by all means. [Then] We come together and enjoy ourselves,” Amboyan said.
According to her, there are also Armenians who don’t attend the festival, preferring to celebrate New Year with their family, although the majority still joins the joyful festivity. “Our community is very friendly. We celebrate all the holidays together, and each Friday we must attend the Armenian church,” she said.
About 4,000 Armenians live in Kuwait. Most of them are mainly craftsmen, but the country also has famous jewelers of Armenian descent. But, apart from this, in Amboyan’s words, some Armenians there hold quite high offices.