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On December 18 at Hakob Paronian State Theatre of Musical Comedy the gala concert of the 5^th Children-Youth Republican Recitation Contest Festival being held under the NA President’s auspice took place. The RA NA President Hovik Abrahamyan, the NA Vice President Hermine Naghdalyan, deputies, Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan, heads of marzes and other officials were attending the meeting.

We’ll note that the 5^th Contest-Festival launched on September 5. It is dedicated to Sayat Nova’s 300^th and Yeghishe Charents’ 115^th anniversaries. By the way, in 2012 the UNESCO also has included in the list of its cultural jubilee programme Sayat Nova’s 300^th anniversary.

This year also the contest-festival was held in three phases: at 11-14 and15-18 age groups. To recap, the goal of the festival is to focus the attention of the young generation to Armenian Literature, support the love renaissance towards Armenian language and poetry in the future generation, and make continuous the rich traditions of Armenian recitation. The Children-Youth Republican Recitation Contest Festival first time was held in 2009, again under the auspice of the NA President Hovik Abrahamyan. We’ll note that the RA NA President Hovik Abrahamyan is the honourable chairman of the Recitation Contest-Festival, the jury chairman is the Chairman of the RA NA Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Artak Davtyan, the jury members are NA deputy Tachat Vardapetyan, RA People’s Artist Guzh Manukyan, the YSU Head of the Armenian Literature Chair Samvel Muradyan, the Director of Yeghishe Charents Museum Karo Vardanyan, RA Honoured Artist Evelina Shahiryan, RA Honoured Artists Sargis Najaryan, Boris Pepanyan, Gabriel Sundukyan Theatre Actress Julieta Babayan, actresses of Drama Theatre Luiza Ghambaryan, Naira Shahiryan, the Dean of Yerevan Institute of Cinema and Theatre Aneta Yerznkyan and singer Siranush Galstyan. Samvel Muradyan in his speech thanked the NA President Hovik Abrahamyan for not ignoring the Armenian word, script and art in these hard conditions and for sponsoring and spreading it. He addressed warm words to the gifted children, who won in the contest, highly appreciated their gift of reciting. The deputy Tachat Vardapetyan in his speech highly assessed the Recitation Festival being already held under the NA President’s auspice. He has noted that through this process Armenian child is connected with book, wishes to recite, compete and win.

As a result of the jury’s decision, Grand Prix prize was given to the pupil of Ayntap village secondary school of Ararat marz Anahit Nikoghosyan, who received NA diploma and computer, at 11-14 age group Karen Grigoryan from Vayots Dzor won the 1^st place, Tigranuhi Khachatryan – the 2^nd place, Gevorg Sahakyan from Kotayk marz – the 3^rd place, and at 15-17 age group Samvel Vanyan from Lori marz won the 1^st place, Hasmik Harutyunyan from Artsakh – the 2^nd place and Elya Harutyunyan – the 3^rd place. The participants who won the 1^st and the 2^nd places received a letter of acknowledgment and a TV set, and those who won the 3^rd place – NA Letter of Acknowledgement and home cinema.

The youngest participant of the festival 10-year old Sofya Sargsyan and 10 more reciters from all marzes of the republic, Artsakh and Javakhk enjoyed encouragement prizes.

By the NA President’s decree the RA People’s Artist, the contest-festival jury member Guzh Manukyan received NA Medal of Honour on his 75^th birth anniversary. The author of the festival Marieta Makaryan and jury member Karo Vardanyan were also awarded the diploma of the National Assembly in the establishment of the Recitation Festival. Handing over the prizes the NA President Hovik Abrahamyan thanked the festival participants, the jury, the pedagogues, the teachers of the Armenian Language and Literature and the organizers. In his word, this year the 5^th Children-Youth Republican Recitation Contest Festival, which lasted more than 4 years, ends almost on the eve of the New Year, which is conditioned by the participants’ unprecedented number and inclusive geography. If 5000 schoolchildren took part in the first contest-festival, and the number of the 4^th Festival participants had been 135.000, this year the participants’ number exceeded all indices, reaching 170.000, which means that the festival more and more confidently fulfils its main mission: strengthens love, devotion towards Armenian Literature and particularly Armenian poetry in the young generation. “I am sure that by efforts of the participants, organizers of this festival the works by Sayat Nova and Yeghishe Charents, their behests, their words will be conveyed to the next generations.” Finalizing his word, Hovik Abrahamyan once again congratulated the winners and prize holders of the 5^th Children-Youth Republican Recitation Contest Festival. “We should be proud of this generation, our children and our pupils. Thanks to all of you, dear children, dear teachers, parents, respected jury members for your work, your devotion and for your patriotism.”

The works by Yeghishe Charents and Sayat Nova were sounded at the gala concert.