ARMENIANS CELEBRATE NATIONAL HOLIDAY VARDAVAR

Today Armenians are celebrating Vardavar - one of few ancient Armenian festivals that has survived until present. This day falls on the 98th day after Easter. Although now a Christian tradition, Vardavar's history dates back to pagan times. The ancient festival is traditionally associated with the goddess Astghik, who was the goddess of water, beauty, love and fertility. The festivities associated with this religious observance of Astghik were named "Vartavar" because Armenians offered her roses as a celebration ("vart" means "rose" and "var" mean "rise"), thus it was celebrated during the harvest time. On this day people of all ages drench each other with water and rose petals. It is common to see people pouring buckets of water from balconies on unsuspecting people walking below them. After adoption of Christianity the holiday had some changes and nowadays it is being celebrated as a holiday dedicated to Christ's transfiguration. Speaking to Tert.am Rev. Shmavon Ghevondyan told how Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples on the Mount Tabor in his brightened appearance. "The holiday is called Vardavar being compared with a rose bud - you can't know what color the rose will be until it blossoms. The same is Jesus Christ," Rev. Shmavon Ghevondyan said. While ethnographer Armenuhi Stepanyan told Tert.am that the word Vardavar is of Indian origin meaning pouring water on each other. "Few people know the meaning of the name of the holiday. It has no connection with word "rose". The holiday dates back to BC and is connected with harvest time," the ethnographer said. She said during the ancient times the holiday's celebration varied, while now only the tradition of pouring water on each other has remained. Armenuhi Stepanyan said according to tradition while pouring water on each other people become free of fears, diseases. While the church says the tradition is connected with the Flood, when Noah orders his sons to pour water over each other for the memory of the Flood. "People are saying it is just a pagan tradition but there is nothing like it. This holiday is marked both with a liturgy in churches and folk traditions - games, water pouring," Rev. Ghevondyan said.

<< | Home | >>

Translate

RSS © Tert.am

Headlines for July 15, 2012

UAE NUCLEAR POWER PROJECT WINS FURTHER APPROVAL
The state company behind the United Arab Emirates' first nuclear power plant says it has received a green light for the project from an environmental regulator in the country. The Emirates Nuclear Energy ...
JAPAN FLOODS: SEARCH FOR MISSING ON KYUSHU
Japanese soldiers and police are searching for missing people on the southern island of Kyushu following flooding and landslides caused by record rainfall, BBC reports. The severe weather conditions ...
SUDAN PRESIDENT BASHIR MEETS SOUTH SUDAN'S LEADER KIIR
The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan have met for the first time since a border dispute brought their countries close to conflict in April, BBC reports. Omar al-Bashir sat down with Salva Kiir during ...
ARMENIANS CELEBRATE NATIONAL HOLIDAY VARDAVAR
Today Armenians are celebrating Vardavar - one of few ancient Armenian festivals that has survived until present. This day falls on the 98th day after Easter. Although now a Christian tradition, Vardavar's ...
ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN WORTHY TO BE ARMENIA'S CITIZEN, EX DEPUTY DM SAYS
Former deputy defense minister of Armenia, Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun member Arthur Aghabekyan is not authorized to back any of Nagorno Karabakh presidential candidates, but wants ...
SYRIA UNREST: UN TO RESUME TREMSEH KILLINGS PROBE
UN observers plan to return to the Syrian village of Tremseh to continue their investigations into an attack on Thursday that killed up to 200 people, BBC reports. The observers' visit on Saturday confirmed ...
HILLARY CLINTON TO MEET EGYPT MILITARY LEADER TANTAWI
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to meet the head of Egypt's top military council, Field Marshal Mohamad Hussein Tantawi, on the second day of her visit to the country, BBC reports. She has ...
ARMENIA-BASED HERITAGE PARTY LEADER'S MANDATE STILL IN CENTRAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION
The parliamentary mandate of the founder of the Heritage party Raffi Hovhanissyan is still in the Central Electoral Commission, spokesperson for the CEC Hermine Harutyunyan told Tert.am. "We announced ...
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN TO MEET ANNAN IN MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan in Moscow on Tuesday for talks on the conflict in Syria, a Kremlin statement said on Sunday. "During the course of the upcoming ...
SYRIA DENIES UN CLAIMS IT USED HEAVY ARMS IN TREMSEH
Syria has rejected claims by the UN that it used heavy weapons in an attack on the village of Tremseh on Thursday, BBC reports. It accused UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan of "rushed" ...
IRAN READY TO HOST SYRIA CRISIS TALKS: FOREIGN MINISTER
Iran is ready to host talks between the Syrian government and opposition groups, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying on Sunday, in an effort to bring an end to the conflict ...
VARDAVAR CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT ARMENIA (PHOTOS)
The most beloved holiday Vardavar is being celebrated today throughout the whole country. On this day people of all ages drench each other with water. It is common to see people pouring buckets of water ...
BOY, 8, FIGHTS OFF ATTACKER TO SAVE HIS MOTHER AFTER HE HELD A KNIFE TO HER THROAT
A boy of eight saved his mother's life by fighting off an attacker who was strangling her to death. Serial abuser James Edwin Firminger, 41, held a knife to the woman's throat and tried to throttle ...
GOLDEN APRICOT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS KNOWN
The results of Golden Apricot Yerevan 9th international film festival have been summed up with winners announced by the Board of Jury at the closing ceremony of the festival. Best Feature Film is In ...
ARMENIAN AGRICULTURE MINISTER ON UNCULTIVATED LAND ISSUE
Armenia's Ministry of Agriculture is carrying out a research program to find out why the 1/3 of agricultural lands remain uncultivated in the country. Speaking to Tert.am, Minister Sergo Karapetyan ...
JAPAN RECALLS BEIJING ENVOY AMID TERRITORIAL ROW
Japan recalled its ambassador to China for consultations on Sunday amid a simmering row between the Asian powers over disputed territory in the East China Sea, reports said. Uichiro Niwa had returned ...
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE SERVES AS BLUNT INSTRUMENT FOR AUTHORITIES, ANC REP SAYS
The accusatory speech read out on July 14 by prosecutor Hakob Martirosyan at the trial of Armenian National Congress activists Tigran Arakelyan, Artak Karapetyan, Sargis Gevorgyan and Davit Kiramijyan ...