NANI’S LIFE: SISIAN’S OLDEST CELEBRATES NEW YEAR AND A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY

On January 1 when many in the world celebrate the New Year, Sisian resident Vardush Ohanyan also celebrates her birthday. Tuesday will be her 101st.
The hair of Sisian’s oldest woman, despite her age, is not yet completely white. She is fond of listening to conversations going around, interfere with them, add a word. She is happy about each guest, no matter known to her or not. And together with Hello she gives her blessing: “Give one, get a thousand, my dear…”
Her family members, as well as all people in Sisian (Syunic province) call her Nani, which means mother.
Nani has had 7 children, 13 grandchildren, and she jokes about having trouble counting all the great-grandchildren.
She usually gets up at 11 a.m. She spends her day mostly sitting and watching TV and despite her age she is not indifferent to what’s going on around- she follows the local and international news, watches concerts and movies and sometimes when she feels good she sings folk songs.
Nani has never had tea, only coffee, cold water and vodka.
“She doesn’t know yet that it has already snowed, otherwise she’d ask for snow,” her family members say. Nani likes to eat snow and ice and sometimes demands that family members pluck icicles for her.
Maybe that’s the secret of longevity, or maybe her genes: Vardush’s mother died at 115.
Or maybe it is her belief that helps her enjoy life.
“I’ve lived a very good life. I am grateful to God, what God has written here, that will happen…” Nani says pointing at her forehead.
Nani enjoyed a secure life until the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh makes her a refugee. She is a native of Bist village of Nakhijevan’s (Azerbaijan) Ordubadi region, where she lived for 82 years.
In 1988 Ohanyan’s family together with another 44 Armenian families from the village were ousted.
Her husband had died long before, so she left the village together with her late son’s 5 children, and reached Meghri. (son died long before the conflict) Her grandchildren picked them up from there and brought to Sisian.
Until now Nani can’t help crying when she talks about her home. She recalls life in Bist as a rich and good village where Armenians and Azeri lived in peace.
“People liked good food and drinks, they liked to feast,” she recalls. “The New Year was a very joyful holiday in our village. Everybody would first celebrate it at their homes, then go visit others, take candies, sweets, vodka. They would play music and dance.”
Nani got married in 1919. She was 13 at the time and her husband was 20. When she is asked to tell about her marriage she laconically says ‘He liked me, I liked him’. A priest at the village church married us.”
Nani does not miss a chance to praise her mother-in-law. “She was not a mother-in-law but a sweetheart; she took very good care of me, like nobody else.”
Nani tells that at those times daughters-in-law had almost no rights in the family. Her mother-in-law rebelled against the customs of the village according to which a daughter-in-law was supposed to stay at home. She was so young then, that her mother-in-law sent her out to go play with others. Being married she still played with the village children until she had her first child. And that happened only seven years after marriage. Villagers pressed on her husband’s mother telling her to send her away because she was not getting pregnant. And the woman rebelled again. Due to her mother in law Nani had a chance to attend school and learn letters, something that her own father never allowed her.
Despite the trials she faced at her old age Nani remains a joyful person.
“Even now, when sometimes we are upset, she always finds words to encourage us,” says her daughter, 73 year old Hasmik.
Nani does not like her family to make her birthday celebration too pompous and even refuses to take presents.
“What do I need them for, I’m an old woman,” she says, “I don’t need anything, and I would tell them don’t waste money, you’d better save it and buy something for children.”
Last year, on her 100th birthday, her family wanted to invite a lot of people, but she refused. However, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren don’t let the old woman stay alone and she spends her day surrounded by their love and honor.
Armine Avagyan

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