Aromanian News: Issue 1
Welcome!
We created this e-newsletter to share information and news with the Aromanian community in the US and around the world. Welcome to all our members, friends, and supporters! We would love to hear from you, so email us with your comments and ideas for future news items. Thanks — and enjoy this first issue…
AROMANIAN COURSES FOR ENGLISH SPEAKERS
Have you ever wanted to learn the language of your grandparents? Do you want to improve your knowledge of Aromanian or have a conversation with others?
In 2022, the Vlach Associations of Veria and Athens, Greece, offered a groundbreaking beginners’ course in Aromanian for English-speaking Vlachs of the diaspora.
The Society Farsharotu was privileged to participate in this historic initiative. Our instructor, Erasmia Tzarouchi, is a graduate of Aristotle University and has been teaching English since 2002 and the Vlach language since 2014. The response to the course has been so positive that if enough people express interest, we plan to offer two classes starting October 2023, one for beginners and one at the intermediate level. So if you or someone you know may be interested, please send us an email.
AROMANIAN DICTIONARIES
If you can’t understand the lyrics of an Aromanian song or phrase you’ve heard, the new language resources available on our website can help you.
In addition to Emile Vrabie’s ENGLISH-AROMANIAN DICTIONARY, you can now search, view, and download a free PDF copy of Tiberiu Cunia’s Dictsiunar a Limbãljei Armãneascã, which translates Aromanian into French, Romanian, and English.
MODERN INTERPRETATIONS OF OUR MUSIC
Not long ago, many of us were focused on preserving our ancient songs — and they are precious and should be performed and preserved. In recent years, we’ve seen modern interpretations of those old songs as well as the creation of new songs. Any culture, to survive, needs both old and new.
We hope you will enjoy the small playlist of new and reinterpreted Aromanian music available on our YouTube channel.
BAR VLAHA OPENS IN BOSTON
For members of the Aromanian-American community, especially those in the Boston area, March 23, 2023, was a special day. It marked the opening of Bar Vlaha, a new restaurant in the Boston area featuring the Vlach cuisine of Greece.
Opened by the Xenia group, Demetri Tsolakis explained that the idea came from his travels through Northern and Central Greece, rediscovering Greek food and culture through the Vlach people… (read the rest of the article by Society member Elissa Mondschein here)
Bar Vlaha is located at 1653 Beacon Street, Brookline, 02445. The restaurant is open daily from 5 pm to 11 pm, and you can make reservations for up to 20 people from their website:
AROMANIAN LANGUAGE IN THE BALKANS
We recently discovered an interesting resource on the state of Aromanian, including the geographic areas where it is still spoken and estimates of the number of speakers. (We aren’t endorsing it, just sharing the discovery.) Check out the “Aromanian Language in the Balkans” page of the Mercator Wiki on Minority Language Learning.
Thank you for your interest in the Society Farsharotu, the oldest and largest Aromanian cultural organization in the United States. Click here for membership information. To subscribe to this newsletter, send us an email.
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