By: Teddy Espinosa

On June 27th, 2025, Sarah, Kyna, and I went to an Armenian Dance Festival on the boardwalk. It was hosted on a staging area built along the beach and began at 7:30 p.m. It was around a 5-minute walk from the apartments we were staying in. And what can I say…it was beautiful. Certainly better than any club or rave I’ve ever seen. All of their songs were seemingly traditional, with traditional instruments played over loudspeakers. We probably would have been able to hear it from the apartments. The fun thing with Armenian music is that a lot of it is played with instruments historical to the Armenian culture that were not very well known back in the United States. Instruments like the Duduk and Zurna as woodwind instruments, the Qamancha and Saz for string instruments, and the Dhol as a percussion instrument. The dancers were all youth, most likely 18 and younger, and wore various regalia for each song they did. They transitioned from upbeat songs and dances that were fun to watch, sprinkling in some slower songs and dances that made us all feel tired and sleepy.  

I know what you may be thinking, “why is there an Armenian dance festival in the middle of Cyprus?” I was thinking the same thing, too. Armenia is not far away, around 700 miles, but I wouldn’t think that Armenian culture would be highly acknowledged in Larnaca. It wasn’t until I was playing some Pokemon Go and started to pay attention to some of the Poke Stops around the apartments. Within the range in

In Pokemon Go, there are 3 Poke Stops. 2 of them are the St. Stephen Armenian.

Orthodox Church’s Memorial, and the St. Stephanos Armenian Apostolic Church. 

This got me thinking about how the Armenian culture found itself in Cyprus, even to the point where they have Churches dedicated to the Armenian faith. Through research, it is easy to determine that Christianity is the predominant faith in Armenia. Primarily Apostolic Christians, meaning they are more closely tied to the teachings of the original 12 apostles of Christ. The primary faith in Cyprus is Greek Orthodox Christianity, which shares similarities with Apostolic belief in that it upholds the teachings and beliefs of Christianity. They both share the same faith and cultural background.

Furthermore, additional research indicates that Armenia and Cyprus have a particularly close relationship with each other. This includes economic trust, military cooperation, political support, and a long-standing diplomatic relationship. Cyprus has long supported the Armenians in helping the world acknowledge the Armenian genocide. In turn, Armenia has offered solutions and support in dealing with the “Cyprus Problem,” which has divided the island of Cyprus in half. It just goes to show just how unique the island of Cyprus is. They house people from many different faiths, religions, beliefs, and cultures and do their best to support them all as much as they can, especially with the recent happenings of the war between Iran and Israel, where Cyprus has become a safe haven for Israeli refugees and providing them with shelter and kosher meals. Hopefully, in due time, Cyprus may be seen as a beaming example of diversity and inclusion.