Matsun Are Drel Ver Darun (Placing Matsun on the Shelf)

The dance was first documented and scientifically studied in 2010 by the renowned Armenian ethnographer and choreographer Gagik Ginosyan in the Vedi region, based on the narration of Abraham Nazoyan.

The full name of the dance is “Matsun Em Drel Ver Darun,” but as it entered broader performance contexts in modern times, it was simplified to “Matsun.” In the Van dialect, “Dar” literally means “high,” so the full name can be interpreted as “I placed the matsun on a high place.”

The dance was performed around the vessel used for fermenting matsun (a type of yogurt). For the entire family, matsun was prepared in a large clay vessel, jar, or pot, which, after being filled with milk, was placed on a high spot to mature. The dance was performed with the belief that the dancers’ positive energy would imbue the future food, hoping to prevent the matsun from “breaking” during fermentation.

Apparently, the dance belongs to the category of protective and magical dances, but another theory suggests that the dance originated in ancient water worship rituals and reached us in a somewhat modified form.

Another distinctive feature is the handhold of the dance formation, which is unique among the dance examples that have reached us. The dancers stand side by side, maintaining a slight distance from one another. Each dancer places their right hand from behind on the left shoulder of the dancer to their right, while the left hand rests on the back of the neighboring dancer to the left.