{"id":1889,"date":"2012-07-01T18:19:24","date_gmt":"2012-07-01T14:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/barevarmenia.com\/travelblog\/?p=1889"},"modified":"2014-08-16T19:47:16","modified_gmt":"2014-08-16T15:47:16","slug":"vardavar-water%c2%ad-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barevarmenia.com\/travelblog\/vardavar-water%c2%ad-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Vardavar: Water Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Vardavar\"<\/a>Vardavar is one of the Armenian national-religious holidays, reborn with Christian faith, which\u00a0has its deep roots in pagan era. It is celebrated on the\u00a014th\u00a0Sunday after Easter celebration during the period from 28 June to 1 October. This year we celebrate this great water festival on July 15.
\nIn the pagan era this holiday was associated with\u00a0Goddess of love named Astghik. According to tradition Astghik presented roses and sprayed rosewater\u00a0spreading love in Armenian land, and her beloved\u00a0God, Vahagn, protected and preserved their love.
\nAnd the name of the holiday \u2013 Vardavar derives\u00a0from this legend. According to another tradition\u00a0Noah, descending from the ark which had landed on\u00a0Mount Ararat after the flood, orders his sons to spray\u00a0water at each other in the memory of the flood.
\nAfter the adoption of Christianity Armenian\u00a0church revived this holiday, deeply loved by people.\u00a0And the renewed holiday began to symbolize\u00a0Christ\u2019s transfiguration or brilliance when on Mount\u00a0Tabor Christ appeared in divine light before three of\u00a0his disciples: Peter, Jacob, John and prophets Elijah\u00a0and Moses.
\nBesides the religious rituals, the holiday enjoys\u00a0great popularity and it is celebrated according to the\u00a0ancient traditions. Early in the morning everybody;\u00a0both adults and children, familiar or unfamiliar people come out to the yard and spray each other with\u00a0great amount of water. Thus, they remember the tradition of presenting roses and spraying water by\u00a0Goddess Astghik. This holiday is not only a perfect\u00a0way of being refreshed on a hot summer day but also\u00a0it changes into a real holiday of water and entertainment when all around you can see many children in\u00a0wet cloths but in good mood and happy. Besides,\u00a0water of Vardavar considers to be healing, and\u00a0everybody should get at least several drops of water\u00a0during spraying each other.
\nIt is also traditional to fly doves. The holiday has\u00a0been celebrated more solemnly in villages where the\u00a0merry songs and dances, various games and jocks\u00a0are the inseparable part of the holiday.\u00a0So, welcome to Armenia where the celebration\u00a0of Vardavar will delight you and the impression of\u00a0the holiday will accompany you even after leaving\u00a0Armenia.<\/p>\n

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