Vardavar
Vardavar or Vartavar (Armenian: Վարդավառ, Homshetsi: Vartevor or Behur)[1] is a festival in Armenia where people drench each other with water.
Origin
Vardavar's history dates back to
The historian of ancient religions Albert de Jong explains that the water rite of Vardavar bears strong resemblance to a similar rite of the Iranian Zoroastrians of Yazd as part of the festival of Tir-o-Tištar.[5]
Date
Vardavar is generally celebrated 98 days (14 weeks) after Easter in the republic and the diaspora when the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration. In some regions, however, it is held on different days, and traditions differ too.
Year | Day |
---|---|
2024 | July 7 |
2023 | July 16 |
2022 | July 24 |
2021 | July 11 |
2020 | July 19 |
2019 | July 28 |
2018 | July 8 |
2017 | July 23 |
2016 | July 3 |
2015 | July 12 |
2014 | July 27 |
2013 | July 7 |
2012 | July 15 |
2011 | July 31 |
2010 | July 11 |
Festival
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.
In addition to the celebrations, the traditional ceremony of splashing water on each other and the blessings of the youth, the Armenian folk songs are also included and performed by the Nairyan Vocal Ensamble. The Vardavar holiday theme pavilions represent the traditions and handmade works of different regions of Armenia.[6]
Outside Armenia
Vardavar is also celebrated by
In popular culture
Vardavar was featured on episode 2 of season 3 of Mickey Mouse Funhouse on 1 March 2024. Minnie chooses the wrong outfit to celebrate Varrdavar; they are then seen eating Khorovats (Armenian BBQ) and Tahn (Armenian yogurt drink). The episode marks the first-ever representation of Armenian culture at Disney.[11]
Gallery
See also
References
- ^ "Hemşinlilerin 'Vartevor'u". Agos (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-10-19.
- ISBN 9780226449845.
- ^ "FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION". St. John Armenian Church. 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ Very Rev. Fr. Vahan Ter-Minasyan (1904). Unwritten scripts and old customs (in Armenian). p. 145.
- ^ De Jong, Albert (2015). "Armenian and Georgian Zoroastrianism". In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw; Tessmann, Anna (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. John Wiley And Sons Ltd. pp. 124–125.
- ^ VARDAVAR INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL - FOUR YEARS IN A ROW
- ^ Limited, Alamy. "Moscow, Russia - 11 July 2021: people celebrate Vardavar holiday near The Armenian temple complex at Trifonovskaya Street in Moscow city. It is the re Stock Photo - Alamy". www.alamy.com. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
- ^ https://www.wdacna.com/event/445/Vartavar-Celebration-at-St-Peter-Armenian-Church-of-Glendale
- ^ "Celebrating Vardavar from Tehran to Glendale – Asbarez.com". Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ "Parks and Recreation Offers Fun in the Summer Sun for Everyone - Glendale News-Press". 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ Vardavar: Mickey Mouse Funhouse episode on the traditional Armenian festival premieres on Disney Channel