Armenian folk song Sari Aghchik-Sari gelin was popular in Artsakh-Karabakh(video)

by Ani Margaryan’s Blog

61 year-old Alvaro Shekyan, who took part in Artsakh-Karabakh Liberation War in 1991-1994 as a commander, told us that in Artsakh the Armenian song Sari Aghchik-Sari Gelin was very popular even during Soviet period. Particularly the soldier remembers that in 1962 in Martakert region Ghazanchi Armenian village they sang that song on their graduate concert at school. Shekyan claims that Sari Aghchik-Sari Gelin was one of the Armenian favourite songs in Artsakh long before Soviet Union. Armenians used to sing it in Martakert region schools.

He sang part of the song to us. It’s worth mentioning, that he used pure Armenian Sari Aghchik (Girl from the mountains) and not Sari gelin.

The song SARI AGHCHIK-SARI GELIN-VARD SIRETSI is very popular in our region. It is known in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and in Azerbaijan, but the very first versions are in Armenian, as well as the melody. Anyway, from the Soviet period up to now Azerbaijan has been taking steps in order to claim this folk song as its own, without providing any meaningful evidences or proofs. In Turkey, a huge number of journalists, mass media specialists, musicians, public figures have repeatedly said that the song is Armenian in origin. This list also includes Turkey’s current Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
A well-known Turkish female singer Sezen Aksu performed the song in Armenian with the Armenian choir Vardanants, which caused an uproar in Azerbaijan and demands that she only sing it in Turkish or Azerbaijani were made. During the popular song contests “The Voice of Turkey” participants often choose this song, but it has never been mentioned as “Azerbaijani”. This fact has become another reason for Azerbaijani protestations.
In Armenia a group of girls has organized the project SARI GELIN IS AN ARMENIAN FOLK SONG-ՍԱՐԻ ԱՂՋԻԿԸ ՀԱՅԿԱԿԱՆ ԵՐԳ Է to remind the Armenian society and to the whole world of the songs Armenian roots.

Within the framework of the project a unique photo shoot of the Armenian girls in Armenian traditional garment elements-KOPI took place. It is also planned that Armenian famous singers would soon sing Sari aghchik in modern versions.