AND IN OTHER NEWS: Armenia Hosts Mars Mission Simulation

So much of the news we hear about Armenia lately is fraught with anxiety and uncertainty. While there’s a good reason for that, that’s only one side of the story. There’s so much more going on in the Armenian world, and multiple aspects of it have “gone viral” over the past few weeks. In this roundup, we take a look at some of the positive ways Armenian culture has been referenced or spread on-line lately weeks, bringing it to millions of people. From food to culture to history and even a trip to Mars, appreciating the full picture of being Armenian is a helpful and even therapeutic exercise in this time when it is so easy to be consumed by pessimism. 

This video of lavash being baked, a familiar site to any tourist in Armenia, received millions of views just on the platform X within days of being posted- now standing at 22 million. 

The Onion is famous for its sarcastic wit, and this irreverent invoking of Armenia on the subject of “nepobabies” made it go viral among Armenians and their friends. 

Armenia has selected the duo Ladaniva to represent it this year in Malmo, Sweden. The announcement rolled out with a music video for their song “Jako”, which quickly gathered millions of views. According to one commenter, the song is a huge hit in neighboring Georgia, though its reception among some Armenians has been more mixed. Some question whether it is “Armenian” enough, while others embrace the song’s vibe and message. Ladaniva’s music takes inspiration not just from Armenian culture, but has other influences from across the globe including traditional music from the Balkans, Africa, and Latin America. 

If you are Armenian, you almost certainly saw the news spreading like wildfire through our feeds about the Mickey Mouse Funhouse’s special episode. Armenian children (and lots of adults too) watched Minnie, Mickey, and the gang celebrate Vardavar, with special guest the ancient goddess of water Astghik. Alongside movies like “Amerikatsi” and the recent documentaries “1489” and  “Armenia My Home,” Armenian representation in cinema continues to gain steam. 

Here’s an awesome throwback showing the original Armenian-Disney crossover! 

And how’s this for a crossover? Disney is also the owner of the 1997 movie Titanic, which took the already strong mystique and romance surrounding the 1912 maritime disaster to a whole new level of obsession. What’s less known is that Armenian immigrants were among the third class passengers on board, kept in the lower decks far from the glittering grandeur of first class. At least six Armenians are known to have been aboard, two of whom survived. Hear their stories on this episode of The Rest is History podcast. 

Now switching to a totally different environment, Mars! Did you realize Armenia’s Ararat province is currently standing in as the red planet for a mission of analog astronauts training for the eventual day man heads there? Visitors to the surrounding region are often struck by the Martian-like features of the landscape, particularly its rocky landscape and deep red cliffs. The mission is being conducted by the Austrian Space Forum and the crew is monitored by Mission Control in Vienna. The mission lasts for a month and the astronauts can only leave their specially developed habitat wearing a spacesuit prototype.

Finally, one more bit of mainstream recognition: Zvartnots was the clue and Yerevan the response for the Final Jeopardy! round on a recent episode of its Tournament of Champions. That’s a good reminder: have you booked your flight for a visit this year? 2023 saw the highest number of tourists in Armenia’s history; let’s make 2024 another record-breaking year!

The post AND IN OTHER NEWS: Armenia Hosts Mars Mission Simulation appeared first on CIVILNET.