Swampscott High School student Davit Movsesyan shared Armenian culture, cuisine, and history with about 20 attendees at the Senior Center on Monday, October 6.

Davit, 16, has lived in the United States for three years and is currently a senior at Swampscott High School. He joked that he learned English by watching an “ungodly amount of YouTube.” Davit hopes to study engineering in college and visits his family in Armenia nearly every summer.

“Armenians in general are very distinct from most people,” Davit said. “Until the modern internet, Armenian was a very close knit community. The Armenian language is very distinct.”

Armenia is located between Georgia, Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan. It is an ancient nation with more than 3,000 years of history. Over the centuries, various empires have ruled over the region. Armenians, who referred to themselves as Hayks, were first incorporated into the Median Empire, then Persia, and later into Alexander the Great’s Macedonian Empire. The country was eventually divided between the Byzantine (whom Davit joked “we hated at the time”) and Sasanian Empires, later controlled by the Mongols, and eventually split again between the Ottoman and Russian Empires.

“There’s a lot to say about the Armenian genocide and I could talk about it for an hour,” Davit said. 

More recently, Armenia has been involved in an ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Until 2023, the area was predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, while surrounding districts were mostly Azerbaijani. Although the region was claimed and partially governed by the Republic of Artsakh, it was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Armenians in the region faced discrimination, with Soviet Azerbaijani authorities suppressing their culture and identity, and at times forcing them to leave the area.

The conflict escalated into a war in the early 1990s, and again in late 2020, when a second Nagorno-Karabakh War resulted in thousands of casualties and an Azerbaijani victory.

“This country (Armenia) might not exist in a couple of years,” Davit said. “It’s definitely an interesting time to be Armenian with all of the geopolitics.”

One Senior Center attendee thanked Davit for sharing Armenian history and culture, adding that even though he himself is Armenian, few people knew about his heritage when he was growing up.

Davit also brought treats for the audience, including lavash, a thin flatbread recognized by UNESCO in 2014 as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. He served it with labneh, a thick, strained Middle Eastern yogurt dip. Apricots were also on the table, as the region grows nearly 50 varieties of the fruit.

“We have a lot of fruits because the Armenian region has a lot of fresh fruits. It’s really great,” Davit said. 

He also described his favorite meal, which features bone marrow. Davit explained that it can take days to prepare, so it’s often made as part of a group gathering.

“It’s the best thing,” Davit said. “We love food. We eat a lot.”

Davit also noted that the mountains, which he said covers about 89% of Armenia, are home to “very good chamomile tea.”

“I used to drink that all the time,” Davit said. “You just go up to the mountain and start digging, get some fresh tea off the mountain just like that.”

Traditionally, Davit said, many Armenian events center around hospitality, family, and friendship.

“I know my entire extended family. I know every single one, by name,” he said. “We’re very close.”