Chances are, if you’ve ever eaten a date, there’s a very good chance it was probably grown, packaged or distributed by a local Armenian family here in the Coachella Valley. The industry has exploded and is now represented by just about every ethnic group in our desert with generations of expertise delivering this unique treasure worldwide.
Dates have been a staple food in the Middle East for thousands of years, cultivated in Mesopotamia and Egypt as early at 4000 BC. Many Armenian Arabs and other peoples proficient in growing dates were brought in to our desert to help the USDA back in the 1800s for a trial experiment. The rest, as they say, is history.
While Armenians are well known throughout California and the rest of the world, they are a defining part of one of the largest agricultural industries in California and they call the Coachella Valley home. Armenians have become an integral part of our communities, social groups, businesses and schools. They have been helping to shape the Coachella Valley for over a hundred years.
One defining part of every Armenian is their pride in being the first Christian nation and having a culture rich in tradition which has evolved for millennia. Every year for the past thirteen they have celebrated their culture here, at their church in Rancho Mirage.
This year marks the 14th Annual Armenian Cultural Festival and all are welcome. There will be music, food, dancing and more.
“This is a celebration of life. It allows us to share our culture and its traditions through food, music and fellowship. We are all so proud to call this desert our home and be part of this wonderful community.”
Please help support one of the truly wonderful fundraisers in our desert! This Veterans Day Weekend, November 12 & 13. 38905 Monterey Avenue in Rancho Mirage.
