The project

When?

8th to 18th April 2013


Where?

Aghavnadzor, Armenia


Description:

Quite often in countries, where Christianity is a predominant religion nowadays, the emphasis, put on the Christian period, is almost completely overshadowing the pagan legacies, that are existing in countries’ culture – sometimes it’s easy to get an impression that country’s history started only after the adoption of Christianity and that Christianity was the first link, connecting different cultures in different parts of the world. However, the similarities between the symbols, traditions, festivals, beliefs in natural powers and other culture-related things in different cultures of Europe and beyond, suggest that intercultural links existed in the region a long time before the advent of Christianity. Today one can see that in Christian countries the elements of Christianity and paganism are quite closely intervowen (in symbolic systems, celebrations of festivals, traditions, ect.), as well as to observe the surge of neopaganism in different countries. These and others things suggest that paganism is still a living element of Christian nations, and that this element could still be considered as a link, connecting contemporary cultures. The topic of (neo)paganism is actual to young people in different nations of Europe and beyond as young people are the main successor of nation’s cultural heritage and as one can see the increasing involvment of young people in (neo)pagan movements. Thus, it is important to encourage the youth to investigate and discover their cultural roots, to look for the answers for such questions like how different nations got connected before the advent of Christianity? how the present nations are affected and connected by the pre-Christian culture? how the features of Christianity and paganism are interwoven in contemporary cultures and how all of this contribute to national and European identities?

The concrete objectives of the youth exchange are:

- to raise participants' intercultural sensitivity and provide a space to investigate the pagan roots of their own nations, to make comparisons and conclusions about the links between the ancient cultures in Europe and beyond

- to question an idea that the pre-Christian cultures have a lot in common, and were closely interconnected. To discuss the idea that European unity started a long time before the advent of Christianity and that the European identity inter allia includes the dimension of preChristian culture

- to foster dialogue between active young people and youth from deprived urban and rural areas through active participation and interculturality

Hosting and applicant organisation is: “International Center for Intercultural Research,
Learning and Dialogue” (ICIRLD), www.icirld.net