Cultural and Religious Symbolism
In the city of Harput and widely across Historic Armenia, coins were used as celebration for life-changing events such as coming of age celebrations, engagement, marriage, or childbirth.
During engagement (Nshanduk) which lasted a year, one of the most common presents from bride to groom was a simple string of gold coins, called an osgi khatar. Eventually, this was combined with other gold coin jewelry that brides were given between betrothal and marriage: to create headpieces and jewelry for her wedding, and for religious ceremonies following her marriage.
The bride and groom were commonly given a khatar of gazis, or, a string of gold coins faceted on a gold necklace. Prospective brides were also given a pair of earrings and a ring at their engagement, one of which usually contained gold coin adornments. Separate from the jewelry function, engagement party goers commonly brought sacks of gold coins to drop into a communal, monetry gift for the new couple.
After getting married, couples participated in a ceremony where gold coins, beshlik and para, were stuck onto their foreheads, and they were celebrated and blessed with good fortune and a good marriage.
After the birth of their first child, the baptism basin was filled with gold coins, believed to bless the child.
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Coins were also used during religious festivals, and public celebration. In the village of Sassoun, older children poked holes and cut copper coins into the shapes of moons and wore them as jewelry or head adornment during lunar eclipses. Eclipses were seen as a bad omen, and the coins were thought to protect children from its influence. Mothers also commonly sewed gold coins inside of their childrens' clothing for protection while out in the wide world; protection from misfortune and evil.
In historic Armenia, coins were used as adornment. Apart from the obvious utility of turning coins into necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and even rings, they were also used in clothing. In poorer, more rural villages, gold coins were commonly worn on heads, headbands, or as hair accessories: with holes poked into them, strung from chains or threads.
Hink mengots, meaning "a fiver" in Armenian, were worn by women commonly, regardless of social class: commonly an Ottoman gold coin faceted to a gold chain. Coins faceted to women's headbands were known as mahmoudia. This was usually done in combination with gold threads being laced or tied into her hair, as well.
Men commonly sewed gold coins either into the interior of their taghik, cap with flat sides and a round top, with a similar appearance to a fez, or faceted them to the outside borders as adornment.
source: Houshamadyan, the Armenian history digital archival project https://www.houshamadyan.org/mapottomanempire/vilayetofmamuratulazizharput/kaza-of-agn/local-characteristics/attire.html