The Armenian Vardavar: Between Church Celebrations and Popular Traditions
What Happens During this Historical Day?
Report by Elia Nasrallah
Translation by Mary Yahchouchy
All year long, Christians celebrate many different festivities and events, each according to their local or international religious customs and traditions. However, do these celebrations accentuate the gap among Church families? The answer is no. of course, each Church has its own characteristics and rites, but they are all united under one slogan: “Richness in Diversity”. This richness was always what distinguished churches in the East and the West, while all of them praise Jesus Christ in one faith, acknowledging his death and resurrection.
Based on the latter, let us get acquainted today with an ancient holyday of the Armenian Church celebrated globally and regionally. It falls this year on Sunday July 11, to be an annual combination of liturgical and popular traditions. It is "Vardavar" or "the day of spraying water" or as people call it "sprinkling". It is the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ, and one of the five ceremonial rites of the Armenian Apostolic Church. To what era does this holiday belong? What are its characteristics? How do believers celebrate it?
First, it must be noted that this celebration is a tradition symbolizing life after the flood. It dates back to the pre-Christian period and to ancient pagan times, after which it took on a Christian religious character. Citizens in Armenia have been keen to preserve it since the era of Noah and have been celebrating it for several decades in the country. They transferred the celebration to all Armenians in the diaspora, including the Middle East, such as Egypt.
Historically and pagan wise, Vardavar was dedicated to Astaghik, goddess of fertility, beauty, and water. It came after fieldwork and the gathering of grain, when it was customary to arrange a banquet honoring the sacrifice of their leaders. People also used to offer bouquets of roses to the temples of Astaghik and water was sprinkled in these places in order to thank the gods for supporting the growth of seeds, but also to wash away evil. The word “Vardavar” in Armenian means “offering roses”, this tradition was held during great popular celebrations and spraying water remains a custom nowadays.
In 301 AD, after Armenians converted to Christianity, the Armenian Church re-celebrated “Vardavar” and linked it with some Christian traditions, in order to preserve the ancient Armenian traditions on the one hand and consolidate the Christian faith among people on the other. This holiday comes 98 days after the Passover to reflect the visit of our Lord Jesus Christ in Mount Tabor who took "Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:1-2).
Armenia succeeded in adding this holiday on the lists of intangible heritage with UNESCO in 2011. Adults and children continue to celebrate it annually with special rites, in front of several historical Armenian churches and monasteries such as the Keghart Monastery and the Pagan Garni Temple where prayers are held and believers are blessed then water is sprayed in the streets, especially in Egypt.
Christians in the Syrian region of Qamishli celebrate "Vardavar" with the same traditions. It was called the fiftieth Holyday because it comes 50 days after Easter. This celebration later took on a popular character and a social rite during which the people of the region participate by sprinkling water and having fun. This symbolizes, according to what people say, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Christ in the form of tongues of fire, and the spraying of these tongues.
Communication and Public Relations Department
Resources:
Khabar Armani (Armenian News) website: https://bit.ly/3jKW0DY
ArmenPress website: https://bit.ly/2SQNYyz
Al Watan website: https://bit.ly/3Ayv9kr
Sada Al Balad website: https://bit.ly/3qOdLnq
Copts Today website: https://bit.ly/3dK4hEE
Snack Syrian website: https://bit.ly/36mYLmZ