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In 2008, a real wedding marathon was held in Artsakh, where 700 couples were married on one day.
With live television coverage and mass events throughout Artsakh, it was the biggest public event for years and had been initiated by Levon Hairapetian, a Russia-based, Artsakh-born entrepreneur. The couples were married in Gandzasar Monastery and Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi.
They danced a waltz together on Revival Square before walking down the steps to the central stadium of Stepanakert, where they celebrated together at a mass wedding feast at long tables. The initiative helped revive and promote Armenian wedding traditions, local cousine, as well as elements of Karabakh folklore, like donkey-races.
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