The fallout from the wedding continued throughout the weekend, as word reached us that a heated exchange took place when the parents and immediate family of the bride and groom met at the bride’s parents’ home. “It happened that the tamadah (toastmaster) of the wedding was there,” our friend said. “I told him it was disgusting how he praised the singer and his Baku-style music, and he said he didn’t like the music either, but it wasn’t appropriate to say so in front of everybody. Then I told the tamadah that as a good Dashnak, and one who had fought in Karabagh, he should have asked the musicians to stop playing Baku music, and what did he say but ‘what can I do?’ (Armenian sickness of not speaking up, repeated). Then I thought to myself, what should I expect, Dashnaks like Simon Vratzian and Nzhdeh were in the past, and will stay in the past...”

Later, I met with a wise sort who was at the wedding. He blamed the groom’s family, with their Karabagh roots, for choosing the Baku-style music for the wedding. “When the Karabagh movement started, back in Soviet times, I warned people about Karabaghtsis. I told everybody that the whole Karabagh movement was ordered from outside, that money was given to organize the rallies, which played on our patriotism and became a real movement. Outsiders worked with Levon to get the movement going, with the purpose of destroying Armenia. What did we get? Levon helped destroy the country by selling off the factories. Then Karabaghtsis took the country over. And now that time has passed, we see what they’ve done.

“The Karabaghtsis were happy with their lives, and were against the movement until fighting started and they had to fight back. Too bad we can’t turn back the clock. They were satisfied with what they had, and we were too. Now what?”