Eshin bashu

See blog post of Thursday, November 15, 2012

Spitting on the head of a donkey . . . 

And so Marash Girl was entertaining her soon to be step-grandchildren, walking down Bigelow Avenue, surrounded by Armenian churches, and what did she find appropriate to discuss?  Turkish swears, of course!  (Not that she knew very many of them!). As, dear reader, you may be aware, it is said that Armenians pray in Armenian and swear in Turkish!

And so Marash Girl was telling her soon to be grandchildren how she was greeted when she first arrived unannounced at the door of Marash Boy's home in Springfield, Massachusetts. (You may have read this in an earlier blog, but so be it.). Marash Boy's mother answered the door, and went to get her son from his third floor study.  According to Marash Boy's mother, her son, upon hearing of Marash Girl's unannounced arrival, cursed, "Ashekin bashinu tukururum."  In English?  "I spit on the head of a donkey!"

Back to the present . . .  on a Saturday evening, Marash Girl was telling her step-granddaughters  the above story and ended the story by teaching the young ladies the phrase under discussion:  "Ashekin bashinu tukururum."   In order to get the curse perfect, they had to practice it over and over again, and there they were, Marash Girl and her granddaughters, cursing and screaming with laughter on a Saturday evening, as they walked down Bigelow Avenue, surrounded by Armenian churches!

It should be known that generally speaking, Marash Armenians pray in Armenian and curse in Turkish.

Your thoughts?