MUSA LER COMBINED WITH THE TRADITION OF HARISA

Musa Dagh (Dagh is Turkish for mountain) or Musa Ler (Ler is Armenian for mountain) is a small mountain on the Mediterranean coast, today on the Turkish side of the Turkish-Syrian border. The Armenian villagers put up a famous defense of their lives, which was immortalized in the best-selling fictionalized account by Franz Werfel, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh.

The true events are the inhabitants of six villages on the slopes of Musa Dagh, chose to resist in 1915 and set up fortifications on the mountain. For 53 days they repelled onslaughts by Turkish troops until French sailors sighted a banner the Armenians had tied to a tree on the mountain emblazoned with the words: “Christians in Distress: Rescue.” French and British naval ships then evacuated some 4,200 men, women and children from Musa Dagh to Port Said in Egypt. From there groups of these refugees settled in different places, and many returned after WWI, only to leave permanently in 1939 when this area was transferred from Syria to Turkey. Today, only the tiny village of Vakifli remains Armenian on Musa Ler. In fact, this is the only Christian Armenian village left anywhere in Turkey.

Many of those who were resettled after the handover to the Turks, were moved to Anjar village in Lebanon. This village remains almost wholly Armenian today. Others settled in Musa Ler Village in Armenia, just minutes west of Yerevan. There is a memorial built in the village, and each year 40 huge pots of Harisa are cooked on the anniversary of the escape to celebrate, and shared free with any visitors to their village.

A monument was erected across the Zvartnotz airport (near the city of Etchmiadzin) in honor of the heroic people of Mousa Dagh, (known for the 40 days the villagers successfully defended their village).

It has been a tradition that on the third Sunday of September, a celebration takes place at the sight of the monument which resembles a fortress, symbolizing the heroism and solidarity of the Mousa Dagh people. The celebration includes Prayers, traditional “Harissa” (cracked wheat and meat porridge), traditional music (Zourna-Drums,) patriotic songs and dances.

This historical event later inspired Franz Werfel to write his novel " The Forty Days of Musa Dagh" . This book became an instant bestseller for all times. In Europe many Jews read it as a warning about their fate. During the Holocaust years, copies of the novel have been circulated from hand to hand among the ghetto's defenders as a source of inspiration and a call to arms against Nazis. This book is teaching how to be vigilant.

The people of Musa Ler, wherever they are in the world, always remember their history, culture and language. Every year on the anniversary of the heroic stance on the mountain, descendants of the Musa Ler pay tribute to the fallen and celebrate the victory every year on the third Sunday of September. Only once a year one can see forty cauldrons boiling Harisa, a traditional food of Musadaghians. People are up all night until sunrise, preparing this delicious meal made from wheat and red meat under beating of drums.

Harissa has an historical past. It was served both on festive and funeral occasions and for this very reason it is cooked from the meat of a lamb sacrificed with a priest's blessing.

Only to 14 natives of Musaler are honored to cook harisa and it is handed down from father to son.

During the preparation of national meal all night long Musalerians are gathering around the fire, beat the drums, and sing traditional songs and dance. Even the elderly residents of village for a moment forget their diseases, throw away their walking sticks, straighten their backs and began to dance.