Armenians in Istanbul have celebrated the 150th anniversary of Kalafyan School, the cradle of national identity and culture, Agos reports.  
Students in national costumes performed ethnic songs and dances at the ceremony which featured also a video reel telling about the school’s foundation and history.
“Today, Kalafyan is the only school which, apart from Istanbul-Armenian students, admits also children from different corners of Western Armenia as a boarding school. For them, Kalafyan it is the source of revealing their Armenian identity, culture and language,” said Diana Kamparosian, the chairperson of the school’s orphanage foundation.
Founded in 1887, the school initially pursued a mission to educate and give safe haven to orphans.