“The holidays are approaching, the holidays are approaching…”
This phrase, carried from childhood memories into our present day, comes back at the end of every November to remind us that the time is near to renew life, rewrite dreams, set new goals, and reach them with kindness. Perhaps there is no other holiday into which humanity has placed as much meaning and dreamy anticipation as the New Year.
And however diverse peoples, cultures, and civilizations may be, they ultimately speak not of division, but of unity. Probably it was precisely this idea that the ancient Armenians wished to express when, on the eve of the Kaghant year—on the night of March 21—they gathered around a bonfire lit in the courtyard. It is said that this fire symbolized burning away the mistakes of the past year, consigning them to oblivion, and renewing oneself.
The festive mood that begins at the end of November these days turns into a real holiday volcano, when everyone, regardless of nationality or age, simply wants to be happy. That very happiness was hovering in every corner of “Usum,” and especially on its stages. To say that the third graders brought everyone fifty minutes of childhood would be to say nothing at all.
“Let’s Keep a Dream” was not just another story or musical about Christmas and New Year. It came to break deeply rooted negative stereotypes about the characters of fairy tales, to restore the importance of celebrating the Armenian folk New Year, and to convey the message that one should pursue the New Year’s miracle with kindness, not obsession.
The Usum students, who embodied the lying, gluttonous, self-centered, arrogant, and cowardly characters found in folk tradition and fairy tales associated with the New Year holidays, showed on stage that these traits are not verdicts—and that each of us has at least 365 days to rethink life.
At the heart of the musical was the importance of rediscovering the seven virtues on the eve of the New Year, and the vow that in the coming year it is possible to be a little more respectful toward others, to grow wiser and work harder, to be more modest and more grateful, to strive for honesty, and to fight for personal and universal peace.
To not think freely is to not think at all!
