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User:Yerevantsi/sandbox/Vardavar

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Vardavar
For villages in Iran, see Vardavar, Iran.
Vardavar
2011
Also calledջրոցի, ĵrotsi ("water fight"),[1][2] "water day"[3]
Observed byArmenians
Frequencyannual
Related toFeast of the Transfiguration (celebrated by the Armenian Apostolic Church)[4]

Vardavar (Armenian: Վարդավառ, pronounced [vaɾtʰavar], also transliterated Vartavar) is an Armenian festival during which (mostly young) people drench each other with water.

Vardavar was originally a pagan festival devoted to Astghik, the goddess of fertility and love. After Armenia's conversion to Christianity, it has been celebrated on the same day as the Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ by the Armenian Apostolic Church. In modern times, it has largely lost its religious nature and is instead an "opportunity to cool off from the summer heat."[5] It is perhaps the most widely celebrated festival in Armenia after New Year's Day.[6]

Besides Armenia, it is celebrated in Nagorno-Karabakh[7] and some Armenian diaspora communities (e.g. Glendale, California).[8]

Etymology

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Its name is a derivative from “vard” in Armenian, which stands for “rose” in English[9]

On the Vardavar day one can meet children and teenagers menacingly rattling their buckets and looking for somebody to pour water on everywhere in the towns and villages across Armenia. Often the adults also join in the fun. No one is allowed to feel offended or displeased by mischief on this day.[9]


Evolution

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The festival is perhaps the most popular of all traditional and religious events in the Armenian calendar, with youngsters and adults gleefully dumping water over hapless passers-by.[10]

The celebration has now been absorbed into the Christian calendar, but was traditionally associated with Astghik, the Armenian goddess of water, beauty, love and fertility. The festival's name is derived from the Armenian word for rose, "vard." Early observers of Vardavar offered Astghik roses and sprinkled water on each other, or feasted near water in the hope that she would provide rain in time for harvest.[10]

At Garni, pagan priests placed sacrificial knives in fire, as well as rose petals in earthenware jugs of water, before reading aloud from the Ukhtagir, a collection of pre-Christian folk stories and legends immortalizing Armenia's pagan gods written by Slak Kakosian, the founder of the Pagan Covenant, one of Armenia's main pagan organizations. Founded in 1990, the group now claims it has over 1,000 members.[10]

Gregory the Illuminator changed it to the Feast of the Transfiguration [11]

devoted to Atsghik, worship of water. celebrations took place near mountains springs where sacrifices were made to water spirits [11]

98 days later[11]

Vardavar is a summer holiday marking Christ's Transfiguration; it originated as a pagan harvest festival deicated to Astghik

Հայ եկեղեցին, Գրիգոր Ա Լուսավորչի կարգադրությամբ, նախկինում տոնել է հայկական տոմարի տարեգլխին, Նոր տարվա առաջին օրը՝ Նավասարդ ամսվա 1-ին, որ համապատասխանում է օգոստոսի 11-ին: Ըստ մեկ այլ տեսակետի՝այս կարգադրությամբ Գրիգոր Ա Լուսավորիչը քրիստոնեացրել է Նավասարդի հեթանոսական այն մեծ տոնը, որը հանդիսավորությամբ կատարվել է հեթանոսական Հայաստանի գլխավոր սրբավայրեր Աշտիշատում և նրանից քիչ հեռու ընկած Իննակնյա մեհյանի շուրջը (Մշո Ս. Կարապետ վանքի տեղում):[12]

Հայկական թվականի հաստատումով (551 թ. = հայոց 1 թ.) Վարդավառի տոնը բաժանվել է Նավասարդից, կապվել Քրիստոսի Հարության տոնի շարքին և սկսել տոնվել ս. Զատկին հաջորդող 14-րդ կիրակի օրը՝տատանվելով հունիսի 28-ից օգոստոսի 1-ի միջև: Թեև բաժանվել է Նավասարդյան տոնից, սակայն պահպանել է Վարդավառ անունը և հեթանոսական այնպիսի սովորություններ, ինչպիսիք են վարդերով ու ծաղիկներով զարդարվելը, միմյանց վրա ջուր ցողելը, աղավնի թռցնելը ևն: [12]


Vardavar, celebrated in August, is now observed in conjuction with the Feast of the Fransfguration[13]


Feast of the Transfiguration

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" in Armenian and var mean "rise"), this is why it was celebrated in the harvest time.

The festival

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The water festival at the centre of Yerevan in 2014

the Armenian equivalent of Greece's Aphrodite[14]

Among Armenia's traditional holidays Vardavar is certainly the biggest summer festival.[14]

Water is thrown by the bucketful on anyone, strangers or acquaintance: no matter the age, gender or public position. And those watered are rarely angered.[14]


Vardavar is celebrated 98 days (14 weeks) after Easter. During the day of Vardavar, people from a wide array of ages are allowed to douse strangers with water. It is common to see people pouring buckets of water from balconies on unsuspecting people walking below them. The festival is very popular among children as it is one day where they can get away with pulling pranks. It is also a means of refreshment on the usually hot and dry summer days of July or late June.

Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Day 11 July 31 July 15 July 7 July 27 July 12 July 3 July 23 July 1 July 28 July 19 July




https://t.me/RadarARM/15859?single


https://www.facebook.com/1405208089/posts/10221928527308044/

Incidents

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ջրոցի՞, թե՞ Վարդավառ. «Վարդավառ 2013» միջոցառմամբ փորձում են վերականգնել տոնի խորհուրդը" (in Armenian). tert.am. 5 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Վարդավառ. ֆոտոռեպորտաժ Երևան-Սևան ճանապարհից". The Armenian Times (in Armenian). 13 July 2015. ...տոնը Հայաստանում նշվում է հիմնականում ջրոցի խաղալով:
  3. ^ "Armenians celebrate water day Vardavar". Xinhua News Agency. 7 July 2013.
  4. ^ "The Sacrament of the Feast of Transfiguration (Vardavar)". armenianchurch.org. Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. 19 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Celebrating Vardavar, Armenia's Water Festival". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 28 July 2014. Today, Vardavar is largely an opportunity to cool off from the summer heat.
  6. ^ Alikhanyan, Alex (28 July 2014). "Վարդավառ. կիսամերկ, թաց, ժպիտներով, ուրախությամբ եւ երջանկությամբ լի Երեւան". news.am (in Armenian). Հավանաբար մեզ՝ հայերիս համար Վարդավառն իր կարեւորությամբ երկրորդ (եթե ոչ առաջին) տոնն է՝ զիջելով միայն Ամանորին։
  7. ^ "Artsakh Newsletter (prepared by the NKR Office in the United States)" (PDF). fara.gov. Foreign Agents Registration Act (United States Department of Justice). 2013. p. 28. Artsakh's youth joined in the biggest Armenian summer festival "Vardavar".
  8. ^ "The Glendale Aquatics Wrap-up". glendaleca.gov. 2015. p. 1. VARTAVAR CELEBRATION The celebration of Vartavar is a festival in Armenia when people of all ages drench each other with water, and will be observed on Sunday, July 12. Bring your super soakers, water guns and other water toys. Please check at the pool site for detailed information.
  9. ^ a b Musayelyan, Suren (13 July 2007). "Midsummer fun: Armenians pour water on each other to bridge pagan and Christian traditions". ArmeniaNow.
  10. ^ a b c Krikorian, Onnik (26 July 2007). "Armenian Festival Combines Paganism and Nationalism". eurasianet.org. Open Society Institute.
  11. ^ a b c Arakelian, H. (1985). "Վարդավառ [Vardavar]". Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia Volume 11 (in Armenian). p. 326.
  12. ^ a b "Վարդավառ". armenianreligion.am (in Armenian). Institute for Armenian Studies of Yerevan State University.
  13. ^ Nersessian, Vrej (2001). Treasures from the Ark: 1700 Years of Armenian Christian Art. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum. p. 115. ISBN 9780892366392.
  14. ^ a b c Stepanyan, Seda (12 July 2010). "Vardavar: Armenia's annual water fights come at perfect time". The Armenian Reporter.


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Category:Culture of Armenia Category:holidays based on the date of Easter Category:July observances


[1]

[2]


[3]



http://www.armenianchurch-ed.net/feasts/transfiguration-of-the-lord/about-vartavar/

http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00407&include=slideshow.inc.php&id=00528&width=620&call=slideshow&mode=scroll


Incidents http://news.am/arm/news/221104.html

  1. ^ Rose, Jenny (2015). "Festivals and the Calendar". In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw (eds.). The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. John Wiley & Sons. p. 384. ISBN 9781444331356. ...Armenian Christians have retained a tradition of throwing water at each other on the late summer Feast of the Transfiguration, known as Vardavar, a name deriving from Parth. vard, meaning 'rose'
  2. ^ Amierbekyan, Anush (6 July 2013). "Վարդավառի ժողովրդական ծիսահամալիրի կենտրոնում գլխավորը ջուրն էր, մատաղը, աղավնին ու խնձորը" (in Armenian). 1in.am.
  3. ^ "Vardavar Celebrations in Garni". Hetq Online. 8 July 2013.
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