Foodways
Learn about the role of rice pilaf in Armenian households and community events, and cooking together at St. Hagop Armenian Apostolic Church's kitchen, from Rachele Aversa and Sonya Gregian, two longtime members of the Armenian community in Niagara Falls.
Learn about choreg (an Armenian sweet bread often eaten for Easter), the unique taste and aroma of mahlab (mahleb), and the importance of maintaining Armenian traditions for future generations from Lisa Ohanessian Mies & Lori Ohanessian Hurtgam, who learned to make choereg from their grandmother Barbara Aloian.
Foodways
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Learn about the meanings and memories of making Armenian paklava from Laurice Ghougasian, who learned to make paklava from her mother through a recipe passed down by her grandmother, which she then veganized.
Foodways
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Learn about the history of the Armenian community in Niagara Falls, through the memories and lived experiences of Robert “Butch” Kazeangin Jr. Butch Kazeangin is a lifelong resident of Niagara Falls, member of the local Armenian Community, and board member of numerous local organizations.
"Survive, Remember, Thrive: Armenian Traditions in Western New York" is a documentary video series produced by the Folk Arts Program at the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University that celebrates local expressions of Armenian culture and heritage through a short film and shortform videos. In the series' lead short film, "Survive, Remember, Thrive", learn about the history of the Armenian community in Niagara Falls through the lived experiences of Ani Avdoian, Dawn Sakalian, and Kathy Peller: how their families were affected by the Armenian Genocide, their families' resettlement in Niagara Falls, and the types of traditions they maintain and pass on within their family and throughout the local community.
Porfiria Mijangos explains the elements of a traditional ofrenda for Day of the Dead in her region of Oaxaca, Mexico. Interview and footage are from the Day of the Dead celebration at Orleans YMCA, Medina, New York, November 1 2019. Members of her extended family built the large ofrenda seen here for the annual community-wide event.
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Elida Sanabria Aranda demonstrates how to make two Paraguayan staples, chipa guazu and sopa paraguaya, in her kitchen in Bedford Hills, NY.
Foodways
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Elida Sanabria Aranda prepares chipa, a traditional Paraguayan snack, in preparation for a visit from the Virgen of Caacupé and the reciting of the rosary, conducted by the Comisión Virgen de Caacupé Westchester, NY.
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Folklorist Maria Kennedy interviews Marty Morris and Diane Richards about their Cider Pressing in the Finger Lakes National Forest
