Amenian Water Festival (Vardevar)

Vardevar, also called Water Day, is an ancient traditional holiday that is very important to the Armenian people. Vardevar was originally a pagan celebration to worship Astgihk, the goddess of love and beauty, in which they offered her roses (vard means “rose” in Armenian) and doves. Also, they sprinkled water on one another.Now it is a Christian holiday, but we keep those same ancient traditions. This holiday is celebrated in the Armenian Apostolic Church on the third Sunday of July. On this day, people gather together in the church and learn about this holiday. We Armenians celebrate it today by splashing water on each other, partying and feasting with family and friends, and performing traditional dances.

Because water is a symbol of cleanliness, beauty, and fertility, everyone is excited to splash water on others and to be splashed until we are all wet, clean, and happy. Thus, in the morning when we wake up, we hurry outside to splash water on someone. We use buckets, bottles, and cups to gather water and toss on neighbors, friends, and even strangers. Some people even dump buckets of water from their balconies on everyone. Getting completely soaked is considered a sign of good luck and prosperity. Therefore, everyone is happy to be wet. Only the tourists or strangers who do not understand sometimes get offended.

After the Vardevar water celebration, people go home to spend time with family and friends and eat good food. Talking and telling stories, especially funny ones, bring Armenian families together. We also brag about how many people we got wet during the day. In addition, neighbors and relatives visit everyone they know from morning until late at night to celebrate together by playing games, eating, and relaxing. They prepare many tasty traditional Armenian foods. For example, we prepare a variety of fish and a delicious dish called Tolma, which is meat, rice, onions, and spices all wrapped up in grape leaves. After the food is ready, we start eating at lunch time, but many keep eating all day and late into the night.

Another very important part of celebrating Vardevar is participating in traditional Armenian dances. Most families gather to dance the kochary. Usually, some family members play instruments while others perform this circle dance, holding hands and singing. If there are no instruments, people use a CD player to play the music. Single people often go to restaurants to dance and sing the kochary. This dance is important as a symbol of joining together in love and goodness.Holding each other’s hands and dancing to a fast tempo brings joy and a bonding feeling to each family member.

I love to wake up on Vardevar and to go outside to splash water on my friends and family in the hot summer. I love to see them laugh and smile, knowing that we are really splashing each other with more than just water. The water really means love and good will. The delicious food and lively dancing brings Armenian families together to share this tradition and create memories and feelings of beautiful love.

By Tamara Harutyunova, Level 3 Writing