On June 10, the 6th “Sheep Shearing” festival took place in Khot settlement of Syunik region. The festival was organized by the joint efforts of “The Ranch” LLC and “Strategic Development Agency” NGO, with the support of the RA Tourism Committee.
The festival has been held in Armenia since 2014. The festival aims to raise awareness about local products, traditions and culture in the Syunik region of Armenia, as well as to contribute to the development of tourism in the region, the activation of cultural life and to provide an opportunity for people involved in tourism and hospitality to generate additional income.
The festival’s honorary guests were RA Minister of Economy Mr. Vahan Kerobyan and Mr. Werner Thut, Deputy Regional Director of Swiss Cooperation in the South Caucasus and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia.
RA Minister of Economy, Mr. Vahan Kerobyan, gave a welcome speech at the festival, who presented the statistics on the development of tourism in Armenia. “I am very happy that such events are organized and we are able to strengthen and activate our communities, to show the importance of local businesses in communities,”- the Minister said.
Mr. Thut began his welcoming speech with a Swiss folk song which best explains the connection and longing to homeland of a country fellow. “With this beautiful song, I would like to give you a warm welcome on behalf of the Embassy of Switzerland and the Swiss Development Cooperation”.
In his welcoming speech, Mr. Thut introduced the history of the song, the annual Schafscheid event taking place in Guggisberg when sheep that have been grazing the Alps over the summer are brought back to their owners in autumn. “The mountain regions of Swiss Guggisberg and Syunik have much in common. This is also one of the reasons why the Swiss Development Cooperation has been supporting the development of livestock farming in Syunik since 2006. Part of this success story is the establishment of the Syunik animal market in Khot settlement of Tatev Community of Syunik Region, now called “The Ranch», where the festival is taking place today.”- said Mr. Werner Thut, Deputy Regional Director of Swiss Cooperation in the South Caucasus and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Armenia.
The guests of the festival were also welcomed by Ms. Anna Margaryan, the representative of the RA Tourism Committee, and Mr. Samvel Lalayan, the Head of Tatev community of Syunik Marz of Armenia. A. Margaryan, the public relations officer of the Tourism Committee, emphasized in her speech the importance of the festival culture in attracting new tourist flows.
During the festival, the collection of Armenian national costumes (taraz) and accessories were presented to the public by “Teryan” cultural center NGO.
During the event, visitors had the opportunity to listen the concert by “Lav Eli” band, get acquainted with the wool processing “from wool to carpet”, buy handicraft souvenirs, taste and buy the agricultural products and drinks presented in the booths.
The winner of “Sheep shearing-2023” contest is Levon Manvelyan, from Chambarak community, Gegharkunik marz of Armenia.
