The Armenian alphabet was created in 405 AD by a monk named Mesrop Mashtots, commissioned by King Vramshapuh and the Catholicos Sahak Parthev. Before that, Armenian was written in Greek, Syriac, or Persian script — but none of those captured the actual sounds of the spoken language. Mashtots designed a 36-letter alphabet that matched every Armenian sound, and that core has survived nearly intact for sixteen centuries.

The first three letters — Ա (Ayb), Բ (Ben), Գ (Gim) — are the alphabet's opening. They're the letters Armenian children learn first. The Armenian word for "alphabet" itself, Այբուբեն (Aybuben), is built from the names of the first two letters, the way "alpha-beta" became "alphabet" in Greek.

Why the first three letters matter

To stitch Ա Բ Գ onto a blanket is to give a child the beginning of their language — literally the first three steps into reading it. It's a quiet kind of inheritance: nobody's reading the blanket to the baby yet, but the letters are there, and one day the same child who slept under them will recognize them on a page.

Two more letters were added during the Middle Ages: Օ (Oh) and Ֆ (Feh), bringing the total to 38. The original 36 are still what most Armenian primers teach as "the alphabet," and you'll still see the Mashtots-era letters in old monastery inscriptions if you ever travel to Echmiadzin or Geghard.

Or English, if that's the right gift

The English ABC follows the same logic. Some families want their child's first letters in Armenian; others want English; many want both. Lusik stitches whichever the parent picks — she doesn't push one over the other. The blanket should be the language the family speaks at home.

For other letters or special requests — a child's specific initial, an unusual combination, or a custom blanket for a name you'd like spelled out — write Lusik at hello@lusikandsons.com.