In Khachik Village: Where Armenia Begins and Ends

Words by Lilit

This time, the road led us to the border village of Khachik. To reach it, we turned right from Areni village, and after climbing 18 km along a winding road, we arrived at a small village. By the way, if you look carefully along the way, you can notice Noravank in the distance. It was September 21, a warm and sunny autumn day, and in the village there was also a festival of the traditional Armenian pastry—gata.

I had visited this village before, but every time I am amazed by the courage, bravery, and desire to create that the local people have. Khachik is a border village surrounded by Nakhijevan on three sides.

From the very “entrance” of the village, it was clear that the people of Khachik had prepared for the festival for a long time. National songs and dances, traditional games, smiling faces, and eyes shining with happiness. In one corner, noodles were being prepared, and in another, vodka was being distilled.

Along the entrance of the village were rural pavilions filled with dried fruits, fresh fruits, delicious sweets, and a variety of cheeses, which are the brand product of Khachik. The festival also included an exhibition and sale of handmade crafts and artworks.

What kind of gata festival would it be if I did not participate in a gata-making master class? The women gathered around the tonir explained that there are many different ways of making gata in Armenia, and each region has its own unique version.

I learned that in ancient times Armenian women prepared gata on festive occasions and hid a coin inside it. The person who found it was believed to have great luck. While making gata, Armenian women tried to transfer all their warmth and love to their family members through this dessert, so that good fortune would accompany them throughout the year.

The gata master class was followed by master classes on baking lavash in the tonir and preparing arishta.

Did you know that arishta is made from flour, water, and salt? Each piece of firm dough must be rolled out like lavash, then cut with a special rolling tool designed for making arishta. The dried arishta is lightly toasted in a dry pan until it receives a pinkish-golden color.

To be in Khachik and not taste the traditional dessert means not understanding the true flavor and aroma of Armenian pastries. That is why I started walking around the pavilions and tasting several types of gata.

During this visit, I discovered Arastamugh. Geography teacher Yeranyan Petrosyan, together with her students, created a museum containing more than 3,000 exhibits. Later, after the author’s death, her grandchildren tried to present the collection through a local history museum. The museum is located in Khachik village.

The museum has three rooms: a tonir house and exhibition room, where examples of lavash baking and vodka distillation are displayed. In the museum exhibition room, you can already see the main part of the collection. They also organize carpet weaving and rug-making master classes here.

After the museum tour, Mrs. Sona invited us to her home. By the way, the hostess also conducts carpet weaving and rug-making master classes at the museum. Mrs. Sona was very persistent, and if we had not visited their home, she simply would not have forgiven us. No matter how much we said that we were not hungry, she did not want to hear it. Three minutes later, the table was full of traditional Armenian dishes.

There were warm conversations around the table, one toast after another, and at the end she “placed” sweet, golden-cheeked pears in our hands and said:
“You are going on a journey, you will get busy,” and said goodbye.

We were returning along the same winding road. Looking out of the window, I saw that the peninsula-like village had remained behind the mountain.

Everyone should visit Khachik village at least once, taste the most delicious cheese and gata, and communicate with the locals. Because this is where Armenia begins—or ends.

And if you have already visited the village, share your impressions.