Armenian Earthquake Memorial Day is a day of remembrance in Armenia for the earthquake of magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale that struck in north-west Armenia (then part of the Soviet Union) on December 7, 1988. The earthquake damaged a lot of the country's infrastructure, especially in the cities of Spitak, Leninakan (now Gyumri), Kirovakan (now Vanadzor), and Stepanavan, along with many other small towns and villages near the epicenter. The disaster killed over 25,000 people, injured another 14,000 people, and left over one million Armenians homeless, a scar that the nation is still trying to recover from.
Each year, December 7 is recognized by the government of Armenia (and the de facto government of Nagorno-Karabakh) as a day of remembrance of the horrible tragedies that stemmed from the earthquake in 1988. Across the country, Armenians pray for and mourn the loss of their loved ones who didn't make it out alive.