Comments on: Molokans in Armenia

by: Katy

Tue, 24 May 2005 23:47:39 -0700

A guy that I went to college with was a molokan specialist. I have a lot of info about them if you’re ever interested Onnik.

by: Katy

Tue, 24 May 2005 23:48:39 -0700

PS, Molokans are a special sect of Old Believers.

by: Onnik

Tue, 24 May 2005 23:55:51 -0700

Yeah, sure, I’m interested.

by: Nathan

Wed, 25 May 2005 06:06:04 -0700

Oh goodness, I know I'm messing this up, but I did a post way back on Subbotniki and Molokans. I mention in there that some of the Old Believer community in Oregon.* The part I'm screwing up is about the email I got afterwards from a gentleman from the Southern California community of either Subbotniki or Molokans (can't for the life of me remember which). Anyway, here is a collection of recordings and pictures from the San Francisco Molokan community circa 1938. *One of my college roommates was from the town, Woodburn, they lived near. Odd place. If Mexico and Canada bordered each other, downtown Woodburn is what one of the bordertowns would look like.

by: SiberianLight

Wed, 25 May 2005 18:16:03 -0700

“Russia’s Amish” in Armenia

Omnik has just been to visit some Molokan’s in Armenia:The Molokans are a Russian sect, often known as the “old believers,” who left Russia for the Southern Caucasus in 1830 although their origins can be traced back to the 16th

by: Nazarian

Wed, 25 May 2005 22:28:01 -0700

The older Molokans will avoid having their pictures taken. Once there were a young and an old man on a horse driven carriage. When they saw that I was going to take a picture, the old man turned away while the young man didn’t care.

by: Onnik Krikorian

Wed, 25 May 2005 23:57:14 -0700

Point taken about the Molokans but surprisingly, I found the situation the same for children and adults. What was different was that it appeared that some Molokans are very tradition while the others aren’t. Some children ran and hid in one part of the village while in the other, they didn’t. Same with the adults, even the women.

That was the first visit, however. The second was almost impossible. Only 6 photos taken whereas before I took ten or even more times that amount, including in some homes.

by: Nazarian

Thu, 26 May 2005 00:08:32 -0700

There are two sects among the Molokans in Lori. One of the sects is more open to change - they are almost like conservative Christians with their willingness to change.

The other sect is more traditional and try to avoid change.

You probably encountered the people belonging to the latter on your second visit.

by: Onnik

Thu, 26 May 2005 00:39:03 -0700

No doubt and very interesting to note that this division exists within the same village. What you just wrote is really the impression I got on the first visit but on the second, I was just amazed.

by: Ivan

Sat, 28 May 2005 08:25:12 -0700

The Molokans in Armenia you state are called Old Believers.I’m a Molokan living in Califirnia, USA.I also happened to have lived in Woodburn Oregon when the first Old Believers immigrated in the 1950’s.
Old Believers and the molokans beliefs and ways of worship are drastically different. The Old Believers in Oregon that you mentioned are of the old Orthodox Russian worship. Which includes Ikons, Idols, tapestrys, insence and high steeples on their Churchs. I speak of the Old Believers in Oregon from personal knowlegde. As a boy I worked side by side with many of the Old Believers. Were as,Molokans broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church many years ago. It is curious that the molokans in Armenia are called Old Believers.