Armenian patriotic songs: the anthem, the fedayi songs and the songs of the homeland

Armenian gatherings often end with the same handful of songs: the anthem, a fedayi song or two that the older people know every word of, and a newer song about Armenia or Artsakh. Here is where each kind comes from, who the songs are about, and recordings to start with.

By The Armenly team. Written October 29, 2026.

Key findings

  • Armenia's anthem, "Mer Hayrenik" ("Our Fatherland"), sets words Mikael Nalbandian wrote in 1859 to music by Parsegh Ganatchian. It was the anthem of the First Republic from 1918 and was adopted again on July 1, 1991 [1].
  • The revolutionary or fedayi songs grew out of the late 19th and early 20th century, and honor volunteer fighters such as Aghbiur Serob, General Andranik, Garegin Nzhdeh and Kevork Chavush [2].
  • "Zartir lao" ("Wake up, my dear"), from the 1890s, praises the fedayi leader Arabo and is credited to Fahrat, an ashugh from Mush [3].
  • On Armenly, the most played fedayi recording is Sevak Amroyan's "Gini Lits," with about 505,000 Spotify plays (catalog of September 17, 2026).

Mer Hayrenik, the national anthem

"Mer Hayrenik" ("Our Fatherland") takes its words from Mikael Nalbandian's "The Song of an Italian Girl," written in 1859 and published in 1861. The music is by Parsegh Ganatchian [1].

It was first adopted in 1918 as the anthem of the First Republic of Armenia, which lasted until 1920, and adopted again on July 1, 1991. The current version has four stanzas, and a 2025 change to the law reordered them [1].

The fedayi songs

Armenian revolutionary songs come mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Armenian political parties formed to press for civil rights in the Ottoman Empire. Volunteer fighters were called fedayi, and the songs honor them by name: Aghbiur Serob, General Andranik, Garegin Nzhdeh, Kevork Chavush, Dro and others [2].

They are heard at Armenian gatherings and are a way to teach younger Armenians their history, and they are especially popular with young people in the diaspora [2]. Titles you will meet include "Hay qajer" ("Armenian braves"), "Hasninq Sasun" ("We'll get to Sasun"), "Qaj Nzhdeh" ("Brave Nzhdeh"), "Zeytuntsiner" ("The people of Zeytun") and "Gini lits" ("Pour wine") [2].

Zartir lao: "Wake up, my dear"

"Zartir lao" was composed in the 1890s as a wake-up call to the supporters of Armenian liberation. It praises Arabo, a fedayi leader who fought on the Mush plain and in Sasun and was killed with his group in 1893. It is credited to Fahrat, an ashugh (a folk minstrel) from Mush [3].

It has been sung far from the battlefield too: in the 1967 film "Triangle," in front of the French Senate in January 2012, and in Yerevan during the 2013 protests [3].

Songs of the homeland

Not every patriotic song is a fighter's song. Many are simply about Armenia, Ararat or Artsakh, and these are the ones on Armenly's For the Homeland shelf that people play most. The counts are Spotify plays as recorded in the Armenly catalog on September 17, 2026; they are indicative, not official chart figures.

Songs for April 24

April 24 is Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. It marks the deportation of Armenian intellectuals from Constantinople on April 24, 1915, and in Yerevan hundreds of thousands of people walk to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial to lay flowers at the eternal flame [4]. These are the remembrance songs played most on Armenly.

Where to listen

Questions people ask

What is the national anthem of Armenia?

"Mer Hayrenik" ("Our Fatherland"). The words are by Mikael Nalbandian, from 1859, and the music by Parsegh Ganatchian. It was the anthem of the First Republic from 1918 and was adopted again on July 1, 1991.

What are fedayi songs?

Armenian revolutionary songs from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that honor the fedayi, volunteer fighters such as Aghbiur Serob, General Andranik and Garegin Nzhdeh. They are still sung at Armenian gatherings, especially by young people in the diaspora.

What does "Zartir lao" mean?

"Wake up, my dear." The song dates from the 1890s, praises the fedayi leader Arabo, and is credited to Fahrat, a folk minstrel from Mush.

What songs are played on April 24?

Remembrance songs for Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. On Armenly the most played are Serj Tankian's "Yes, It's Genocide," Arto Tunçboyacıyan's "April 24" and Tigran Hamasyan's "Kars 2."

Sources

Cite this page

The Armenly team, "Armenian patriotic songs: the anthem, the fedayi songs and the songs of the homeland." Armenly, October 29, 2026. https://armenly.com/guides/armenian-patriotic-songs

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