Armenian First Tooth Tradition or "Atam Hatik"

Hello my reader, again I am back to my blog to tell you about one of the beautiful tradition of Armenian culture.

So today I will share with you Armenian First Tooth tradition, the way we  celebrate it, the meaning behind it and of course some beautiful photos of my cute nephew's First Tooth Celebration.
In  Armenia, when baby's first tooth appears, family starts preparation for celebrating First Tooth Appearance. This is called "Atam Hatik", 'atam' means tooth, and 'hatik' means granule or seed.
This day we celebrate with fool enthusiasm, since it's one of the happiest tradition in every Armenian family. Preparation starts few days before. Parents start to buy balloons and all other required staff decorated according to celebration.

I don't know how it has been done in our time, but now there is a number of variety of stuff, which market offers to the lucky parents to make that day  fairytale for their little ones.
Everything has a shape of tooth or somehow related to it.
According to tradition there should be a popcorns, cake, multicolor candies and sweet sticks on the table, as a symbol of prosperity.

The baby is also presented with few items and whichever one he or she picks up, predicts his or her future occupation. If the child picks up book, he will be a teacher or writer, money means he will be a banker, financier or businessman, a knife symbolize occupation of doctor and a scissors foretells a life as a seamstress or tailor.
Before there was presented only three things, comb, mirror and knife. Comb has symbolised healthy and straight teeths, mirror has symbolised  abundance and fertility, and knife for strength.
As I know my nephew has picked up few things together, so I am not sure what profession he will choose in future, but whatever it would be, let it be good for himself.

Now tradition has been changed a lot, and people make it the way they like, but one thing has remained the same: it is beautiful family tradition which will length for centuries.
And in the end, there is our 'sweet pie' with his brother.

Connaught Place, Heart of New Delhi

Hello my reader, today I want to write about one of the best place in Delhi, which is my favorite destination for shopping for coffee shop, restaurant and any kind of time pass activity.
Yes, yes, yes its all about Connaught Place.

Connaught Place is located in the center of the city. Its a biggest financial, business and commercial center of New Delhi. As a foreigner I like this place a lot (and I am not the only foreigner who likes this place) since here you can find everything, you can pass your time on shopping or try continental restaurants over here, or just enjoy beautiful view in central park. For me its like a Republic Square of Yerevan. It's clean and cosy place, where you can feel safe as a foreigner and walk alone till late evening.
Here, land is  very expensive and it comes 9th place among the most expensive commercial and business areas around the world.
You can reach this place by Metro, using Yellow or Blue line. The Metro station which comes just near to Central Park is called Rajiv Chowk and here Blue and Yellow lines are crossing.
Construction of this are started in 1929 and was completed in 1933. It has been named after Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. This is a place of pride and counted among the top heritage structures in New Delhi. It was developed as showpiece of Lutyens Delhi, with the prominent Central Business District.

The circle was eventually designed with two concentric circles, creating an Inner Circle, Middle Circle and Outer Circle, with seven roads radiating from a circular central Park. As per the original plan, the different blocks of Connaught Place were to be joined from above. employing archways, with radial roads below them. However, the circle was 'broken up' to give it a grander scale. Even the blocks were originally planned to be 172 metres in height, but later reduced to present two-storied structure with an open colonnade. It was planned to build a New Delhi railway station there but engineers found it impractical  and selected nearby Paharganj area.

Regal Cinema, which was the first cinema of Connaught Place hosted popular concert, theater groups and ballet performances. Later on in 1938, Telki house has been opened, which was offering only Indian cuisine. Swish couple has introduced Delhi a homemade pastries and Swiss chocolates, by opening Wenger's which was originally established 1926 in Kashmiri Gate area. Then one by one many restaurants and shops has been established in this area.
In 1931 first luxury hotel of New Delhi, The Imperial has been opened on Queen's Way (now Janpath) and eventually became a haunt for royalty and a place for political discussion.
It was here that Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten met to discuss the Partition of India and the birth of Pakistan.

When I walk through this area, no doubt, I feel typical British architectural presence and style.Buildings are old but those are kept in same style and way as have been constructed. It seems nothing has been change during this century, but no, it has been...this is the place where every fashion brand exist. Here you can see an ancient and modern, classic and chic, budget and expensive, everything from everywhere.
Just in inner cycle there is a underground market which is called Palika bazaar. where you can find everything with affordable prices, don't expect too much about quality, if you want something according to upcoming fashion, you can choose branded shops.
This place is  near to several luxury hotels, railway station, diplomatic area, parliament house and India gate.

This is a historical place, famous destination for every indian and every tourist stepped to Delhi. Every time when I look at the huge Indian flag placed in the center of Central Park, kind of proud feeling is surrounding me  The flag waves slowly and peacefully, it's as huge as it's nation, history and culture. That beautiful flag is a symbol of this city, country and nation. It reminds us that we are in the heart of this civilization, and I am somehow proud to be part of it.

Iranian New Year or Norooz... Why it is celebrated in March?

 We live in the world with full of traditions and festivals. Every country is beautiful with its culture and customs, and today I want to share this post about Iranian New Year or Norooz, which has been celebrated yesterday.

 Before starting I would like to say many thanks to my Iranian friend Nahal, who started this post in her Facebook page and I have finished it up here in my blog.

 Nowruz Persian  (نوروز‎) is the name of Iranian New Year in Iranian Calendar and corresponding traditional celebrations. Norooz is celebrated and observed by Iranian people and the related cultural continent and has spreads in many other parts of the world, including parts of Central Asia, Caucasus, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Crimea and some groups in Balkans.
Originally being Zoroastrian festival, and the holiest of them all, Norooz is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster himself, although there is no clear date of origin. Since the Achaemenid era the official year has begun with the New Day when the Sun leaves the zodiac of Pisces and enters the zodiac sigh of the Aries, signifying the spring Equinox.

 The term Norooz in writing first appeared in Persian records in the 2nd century AD,but it was also and important day during the time of the Achaemenids (548-330 BC) where the kings from different nations under the Persian Empire used to bring gifts to the Emperor, also called King of Kings (Shahanshah) of Persian on Norooz.

 Significance of Norooz in Achaemenid empire was such that the great Persian King Cambyses II's appointment as a king of Babylon was legitimized only after his participation in the New Year festival.
Now lets come to the festival and see how Iranians celebrate it nowadays.
Few days prior to New Year, special cover spread on the table and this table is called cloth of seven dishes. The number seven has been sacred in Iran since ancient time, and seven dishes stay for the seven angelic heralds of life: rebirth, health, happiness, prosperity, joy, patience and beauty.
The symbolic dishes consist of:

1. Sabzeh or Sprouts, which are wheat or lentil representing rebirth,
2. Samanu, it's a pudding from wheat sprouts which are transformed into sweet creamy pudding, 
3. Seeb, which means an apple and that represents health and beauty,
4. Senjed, the sweet dry fruit of Lotus tree, represents love,
5. Seer, which is garlic in Persian and represents  medicine,
6. Somaq, Sumaq berries, represents the color of sunrise with the appearance of the Sun, Good conquers Evil,
7. Serkeh or vinegar, represents age and patience.

To reconfirm all hopes and wished expressed by the traditional foods, other elements and symbols are also in the table:

1. Few coins on the table represents prosperity and wealth, 
2. a basket of painted eggs represents fertility,
3. a Seville orange floating in a bowl of water represents the Earth floating in Space,
4. a goldfish in bowl represents life and the end of astral year-picas,
5. a flash of rose water knows for its magical cleansing power,
6. nearby is a brazier for burning wild rue, a sacred herb whose smoldering fumes ward of evil spirits,
7. a pot of flowering hyacinth or narcissus is also set,
8. a mirror which represents the images and reflections of Creation as they celebrate anew the ancient Persian traditions and beliefs that creation took place on the  first day of spring,
9. on other side of the mirror are two candlesticks, holding flickering candle for each child in the family. The candles represents enlightenment and happiness.  

The UN's General Assembly in 2010 recognized the International Day of Norooz, describing it as a Spring festival of Persian origin. which has been celebrated for over 3000 years. During the meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the ntengible Heritage of the United Nations, held between 28th September to 2nd October 2009 in Abu Dhabi, Norooz was officially registered on UNESCO List of the  Intangible cultural Heritage of the Humanity.

The only thing is left to say Iranians, is Norooz Mobarak, and let's it be year of prosperity and success.

Yashwant Place or Russian Bazaar

Hello people, welcome back to my blog. Today I am going to share my experience about one place in Delhi, which is famous like Russian Bazaar or Yashwant Place.
Yashwant Place is located in South Part of Delhi, near to Diplomatic Area. The easiest way to reach here is metro, You need to take the yellow line, reach to Race Course Metro Station, then take an auto rickshaw and within 7-8 minutes you will reach there.

This place is a kind of closed market where you can find gemstones, leather jackets, fur coats,also imported food and items. Actually its one of my favorite shopping place the time, when I plan to go my country, since here you can really find very nice coats and natural leather jackets, which are much more expensive in my country.

I think this is the reason why so many peoples are there from Post Soviet Countries, everytime I visit Yashwant. Fur coats are not useful for Delhi residence, since here we don't have too much cold temperature, so most of their customers comes from abroad, and specially from Russia, that is why once you enter there, all the workers start to welcome you with Russian language .

Here you can find also gemstones, earrings, necklaces.

I don't know how genuines are those stones, but frankly said those are really beautiful, and everytime, I go there I can't control myself for buying few necklaces or earrings for me. 

Here you can find also Russian food shop, and there are imported foods, and different goods. 

But of course I was more curious about foods, which I have missed a lot. 

Ohhh Raffaello, backweats, sausages, sour creams...I can't believe my eyes. 

Here is the shop guys, don't miss it  (yeah this is not a marketing, just want to advise you where you can find such tasty foods). 

Oh yeah, Yashwant is also famous with momos, there are number of small food boutiques, which are offering Chinese and Nepalese cuisine, but since I have not tried, can't say anything about foods, but I heard that those are very tasty.  

Overall Yashwant Place is nice shopping destination, for those who are planning  to send a gifts to abroad.  

Best shopping destination for shopaholics in Delhi

When  I started to live in India, I understood  there are lot of things I gonna miss from my culture and country. India is country of diversity, and we can not speak about entire country with one word. Quality of life and services can be change by state and city.
If you live in rural areas, do not expect to see much. The advantage you can have, is clean ecology and beautiful nature, but from other side there are lot of things which will irritate you: there you can see broken roads, problems of water and electricity, absence of life necessary services.
 Even in my country those problems exist in villages, but still we have whole day electricity and water supplies. In India conditions are quite different.
But if we speak about cities, everything is entirely changes. Here we have huge alternatives in every field. The major problem stays air, water pollution and densely populated colonies.
 And this picture gets much more visibility, when you live in Delhi.
Even though Delhi is one of the most polluted city in the world, but it still stays my favorite city in  India. Delhi is a hub of the country, here it is located the Government of India, here are all foreign embassies. cultural centers, business centers, multinational companies and organizations, shopping centers, places for entertainment.
For one, who has a money and time to spend, Delhi has a lot to offer. From budget to luxury services, you can find one with your pocket and convenience. With 20 million of population, this is a metropolitan with all kind of lifestyle, from European to Asian, from slums to a lavish apartment, everything can be found in Delhi.
And here I can not forget about existing shopping choices: from old Asian bazaars to chic malls.
Many Indians think that if you are a foreigner living in Delhi, you might be shopping from malls, only, but its not exactly like this. Let me say there are many bazaars in Delhi, where you can find this or that products with very affordable price. But today I will not be writing about bazaars here ( it will be in my upcoming posts) but about one of the best  shopping destination in Delhi, where you can be lost in offering brands and services. Here it is Select City Walk.

SELECT CITYWALK is a huge complex of shopping and entertainment boutiques, food courts, beauty salons and many mores.
SELECT CITYWALK is located in south part of Delhi, between two metro stations: Saket and Malviya Nagar, which are in yellow line of Delhi Metro. The easiest way to reach here is to take a metro and come out in Malviya Nagar metro station, get out from exit number 3 and take a auto rickshaw,  (here there are number of sharing rickshaws, and you can sit with other girls, pay only 10 rupees and reach your destination within few minutes). Another option is to take auto alone, but here you will need to pay 50 rupees.
Once you reach the place it opens very beautiful and very well organized yard. As every place in India, here also, before entering, security guides will be checking you and your handbags.
It's  place which is always full of people, and specially with foreigners. As I mentioned above it has a nice and cosy yard, where people can sit and enjoy their time.

Once you enter the building, it opens an atmosphere of upcoming festivals.
Since I have been there just after Valentine's Day, you can see the beautiful red decoration dedicated to that day.

Here you can find every brand from local to international market, and  shops for everything: cosmetics, clothes, jewellery, home accessories, food, books.\

In top floor, there is a food court, where they have a variety of traditional indian or international cuisine.

Out of it, you can find also high ranked restaurants in other floors.

SELECT CITYWALK offers free monthly journal, where you can find everything regarding to their services, shops, new collections, also recipes, zodiac, offering travel packages, and many more.

Overall, it's a huge complex of few buildings, where you can spend your whole day without getting bored.