ERVANDASHAT, Armenia – In front of the one-storey house a young man is cutting wood and three girls are playing a bit away from him. Later on their two brothers will come to the house from the field and the whole family will have dinner.
The Vardanyan family
Everyone knows the Vardanyan family in the village of Ervandashat in the Armavir region. They have the largest family in the village. Vram Vardanyan, the father of the family, has 7 children: 4 sons and 3 daughters. The eldest one is 25 years old; the youngest one is in the first grade at school. Two of his sons have served in the army and now the third one is serving.
Ervandashat village is near the Armenian-Turkish border. You can walk from the centre of the village to the border in 10 minutes. The Vardanyan family has been living here for more than 20 years. They used to live in one of the villages in the Shirak region, but their house was destroyed by the earthquake. They came to Ervandashat at that time with their only two children and decided to stay in this village.
Today, 46-year-old Vram Vardanyan works in the field, with his three sons. “We work in the field, reap the harvest and live. The most important thing is that we all gather together near the table in the evening,” Vardanyan said. Anahit Vardanyan, his wife, said that she needs a pailful of water when she cooks soup and at least 5-6 kg of potatoes if she makes French fries. “I cook several times a day,” said Anahit. To keep solidarity in the family she demands that everyone be honest to each other and never cheat, and the most importantly “to earn money by their work only”.
“My children are different from the rest of the village. They are modest, hard workers and stand behind their father”, said Anahit proudly. Vardnayan family celebrates three birthdays in October at once. That day their big table isn’t enough for whole the guests. “Each child brings their own needs and happiness”, said Anahit.
The Vardanyans have already been building their house for 20 years. With the birth of a new member of their family they need to renovate the house. There is a stove in the centre of the living-room and the beds are next to each other. The children of relatives or neighbours are also here for most of the day. “When 8-9 kids are playing in this room at the same time, sometimes I can’t keep track of which one is mine, which one not”, said Vram, looking at the children playing in the room.
They don’t think about leaving Ervandashat. They are used to living in a village near the border and satisfying the needs of the large family. They can’t imagine themselves living somewhere far from their village and stone house. “We ask only for health and work, everything else we can create ourselves”, said Vram.
By Arevik Badalyan
