• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • flickr
  • blogger
  • youtube

blog-logo

  • Home
  • UAE Armenians
  • Hrach Kalsahakian
  • Հայերեն բաժին
  • Archives
    • News
    • Articles
    • Directory

Red Carnation for our loving Alma Johansson (1881-1974)

August 16, 2006
A+ A-
Email Print
Red Carnation for our loving Alma Johansson (1881-1974)

 


Posted: 22 April 2005


 


We received the following article from the Armenian Relief Society (HOM) of Stockholm.


 


It is a beautiful spring day, the sky is blue and the birds are singing. Spring is finally here in Stockholm.


 


Anna Mahdessian is on her way to the cemetery in the center of the city.


 


GREAT SWEDISH HUMANITARIAN ALMA JOHANSSON'S TOMBFor the Armenian community of Sweden this is an annual pilgrimage. You see parents with their children, young people, old people, heading towards Alma Johansson's grave.


 


“Who is Alma Johansson?“, asks Daron, the little boy holding her mom's hand, somehow terrified to be in a cemetery. This is the first time he is in a cemetery. Death is abstraction for him. Anna calms him down and whispers a few comforting words in his ear.


 


On the 17th of April, in response to the initiative of the Genocide's 90th anniversary committee, Anna and many other Armenians paid a tribute to the Swedish missionary Alma Johansson.


 


This was an extraordinary woman, who back in 1915, did her outmost to help Armenians during the massacres, by awakening the public opinion on the matter. It was thanks to her efforts that Hjalmar Brantning, the first Swedish Social Democratic prime minister, then the finance minister, argued for the Armenian cause, and described the massacres as genocide, by using the Swedish word for that “folkmord”, long before R. Lemkin (who coined the English word “Genocide”) did.


 


?We shall always remember her, we are always going to be there to show our gratitude. This is a sacred place for us, Swedish Armenians, explains the chairman of the committee representing Stockholm's Armenian Relief Society (HOM) Mr. Hagop Khatcherian, arranging the flowers by the grave.


 


“I have some carnations, which is for eternal love,? Says Anna with a smile and then sinks her gaze to the candle burning in her hands.


 


Father Norayr prayed for her soul and everybody came to the grave with their ointments.


 


Haig Hagopian played ? Sourp Sourp? on duduk


 


Stockholm , 17 April 2005


Contactperson: Mr. Hagop Khatcherian <[email protected]>


 


Photo: Tomb of Alma Johansson

author-avatar

Posted by Azad-Hye

Like to share?

Social Media

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • flickr
  • blogger
  • youtube
Newer PostAkhtamar Church subject to vandalism
Older PostThoughts on the occasion of the 1600 anniversary of the Armenian Alphabet

POPULAR

item-thumbnail

Rebecca Malikian’s novel “The Caravan of Death”

July 10, 2015
item-thumbnail

Erebouni pen launched in Dubai and other cities

April 12, 2015
item-thumbnail

Vardavar (water pouring) international festival in Armenia gains popularity

July 17, 2015
item-thumbnail

Essam Nagy’s documentary “In The Beginning Was Armenia” (Interview)

January 11, 2020
item-thumbnail

Anna Dolabjian: I feel life coaching as a dream coming true

January 18, 2018

LATEST

item-thumbnail

Liana Ghaltaghchyan is the new Managing Director at the Children of Armenia Fund

January 10, 2023
item-thumbnail

Indian Journalist Venkatesh Remakrishnan mentions the Armenians of Chennai

October 30, 2022
item-thumbnail

Renovation of the Ghukasavan Cultural Center’s main hall

December 1, 2021
item-thumbnail

Nobel Prize winner Ardem Patapoutian

October 7, 2021
item-thumbnail

Armenian Church of the Virgin Mary in Basra, Iraq

August 30, 2021

COMMENTS

Azad-Hye on In memory of AUB Medical Alumni who died during the First World War
Azad-Hye on Kessab Ousoumnasirats celebrates centennial
Lawrence Danny CPA on Kessab Ousoumnasirats celebrates centennial
Stephensmith on Pizza making vending machine invented by Puzant Khachadourian
ALEXANIAN on Astghik Voskerchyan: Every element in my environment has a role in my creations

Categories

  • Applications
  • Art
  • Books
  • Business
  • Celebrations
  • Chinese Armenians
  • Courses and Camps
  • Cyprus Armenians
  • Diaspora Armenians
  • Documentaries
  • Education
  • Egyptian Armenians
  • Energy
  • Ethiopian Armenians
  • European Armenians
  • Festivals
  • Genocide
  • History
  • Hrach Kalsahakian
  • Indian Armenians
  • Interviews
  • Iraqi Armenians
  • Language
  • Lebanese Armenians
  • Music
  • Poetry
  • Politics
  • Religion
  • Rural Armenia
  • Science
  • Syrian Armenians
  • Tourism
  • Turkish Armenians
  • UAE Armenians
  • Websites
  • Հայերեն բաժին

CUSTOM LINKS

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

RANDOM POSTS

item-thumbnail

Traditional Armenian Pilgrimage in Chinsurah

item-thumbnail

Spiritual Antastan by Hagop Kortmosian

item-thumbnail

Սփյուռքի նախարարությունում տեղի ունեցավ ՀՄԸՄ-ի հիմնադրման 100 ամյակին նվիրված նամականիշի մարում և գիտաժողով

TAG CLOUD

Armenian Art Armenian Catholics Armenian Christmas Armenian Costumes Armenian Genocide Armenian Songs Armenian Velvet Revolution Azad-Hye Celebrations Cyprus Armenians Daniel Varoujan Hejinian Diaspora Diaspora Armenians Education Emma Kant Emma Karapetyan Ethiopian Armenians Garni Geghard Genocide Goris Greece Hidden Armenians History Iraqi Armenians Kessab Kessabtzis Language Lebanese Armenians Meri Martirosyan Music Music Application Nana Aramyan Nikol Pashinyan Norway Ottoman Empire Paris Speech Therapy Syrian Armenians Syunik Turkey Turkish Armenians UAE Armenians Vardavar Western Armenia

Search this website

© 2023 Azad-Hye . Designed by Wpinhands
Scroll